Coming Home
by shjoh-charmed
Summary: COMPLETE(Made into 5 parts) Just as Chris starts to bond with his family in the past, Wyatt gets other ideas in the future-all parts are "pg13" except 5 (and maybe 22) , which is "r" for a bit of violence. COMPLETE
1. Coming Home Chapters 1 to 6

Coming home by shjohnso.

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AN: This isn't an update, but it's been so long (I had to re-read it myself) & I was writing the sequel and got annoyed by having to download all 30 chapters, so I made them into 5 parts instead.)

Contains spoilers up until hyde school reunion.

Summary: Just as Chris starts to bond with his family in the past, Wyatt gets other ideas in the future.

Authors notes: the first chapter is rated pg13, but will be bumped to R for the upcoming chapter containing a bit of violence.

Disclaimer—I don't own charmed, or any of the characters from the show, so don't sue me because I get no money from this.

Piper is feeding Wyatt in the kitchen. Bending down to closer to his face, "your little brother still wont talk to me, well not the one in here, but the big version, glancing down at her stomach. Since I'm almost due, I guess 'the event' is going to happen soon afterward, huh?" She begins to cry and puts down the spoon. Wyatt senses her distress and orbs into her lap. She rocks him back and forth kissing the top of his head, "I'm so sorry, I don't want to leave my babies."

Chris orbs in and stands in the doorway listening to his mother. 'I never wanted to make her cry.' He walks over to her and puts his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry mom", I shouldn't have said anything. And maybe I shouldn't be saying this now, but it doesn't happen soon. Maybe you were right, and by me coming back, it won't happen at all. He looks down at Wyatt who is smiling up at him, then back to his mother who is also smiling at him.

Piper: Chris, I don't know when it happens, and I'm not asking you to tell me, but I can't stand the idea that you had to grow up without me. I want to be a mother to you, Chris, and I'd like to get to know you.

Chris says with a smirk, "you do know me, I've been running around this house for months"

Piper: I don't mean the cocky, smart-ass whitelighter bit you've been trying to pull around here,

Chris rolling his eyes interrupted her, "thanks mom, tell me how you really feel"

Piper: slapping him playfully, "what I mean, is that I know there is so much more to you that you try to hide from us, when I can see that you are a good person who obviously loves and cares about us, about Wyatt, enough to come back here to try and fix things. And to put yourself through so much, for us. We haven't treated you very well since you've been here, and I am sorry for that. I know how hard this must be for you, seeing us again, while we're obviously not part of at least some of your future."

Chris in tears, looks at her panicking, "I...uh.."

Piper: "you don't have to say anything to confirm or deny that, I just want to get to know you, know my son. Please?" Piper is crying at this point and holds out her free hand to Chris while balancing Wyatt on her lap.

Chris: sighs and gives in. "ok, what do you want to know?"

Piper: "well for starters, what did, or do you like to do, besides hunting for demons."

Chris: with a twinkle in his eyes, "I don't like hunting for demons" pausing, "much. But um, I kind of liked it when we would just hang out baking cookies and talking."

Piper: grinning and putting Wyatt back into the highchair. 'I can at least do that for my youngest baby'. "you get the flour from the cabinet, and I'll get the chips."

Later that evening at the dinner table, Paige: "what's for desert?"

Chris: "cookies."

Piper: "we baked them."

Chris and Piper looked at each other smiling.

Phoebe: looks from Chris to Piper, then Paige and asks her, "did I miss something here, cause this morning Chris was still trying to avoid her"

Paige: "don't look at me, must be some mother/son bonding ritual or something."

Everyone starts laughing and starting to get up from the table Chris: looks around nervously, "id better get back to the club, I'll see you guys in the morning." He starts to orb away but Piper puts her hand on his arm pulling him back.

Piper: "Chris, I can set up the spare bedroom. I kind of thought that you would be staying here from now on."

Paige: "yeah, I mean, why should my nephew have to sleep in some back office."

Chris looks between the sisters, still unsure. "I guess I could, but what's Leo gonna say?"

Piper: "don't you worry about it, he's not going to SAY anything, cause he's not coming back."

Phoebe: "besides, you're our whitelighter and you have no other charges, and the best place for you to look out for us is right here where you can see us."

Chris: looks at Phoebe gratefully, "Ok."

Phoebe: she hugs Chris and gives him a kiss on the cheek. Turning to her sisters, "well, I'm gonna go to bed, I have a lot of letters to get through tomorrow. Good night."

Paige: "night Phoebs."

Piper: turning to Chris before walking up the stairs, "well, I'm going to go put Wyatt to bed then I'm going to go make up your room."

Paige: she turns and puts her arms around him, "Chris, you're family.......stop acting like you don't think we want you around, because we do."

Chris: with a genuine and more confident smile, "ok." Both orb upstairs to their rooms.

Future: Wyatt: staring out of the window, he begins to get new memories of things that hadn't happened in his past. He turns to one of his head demons, "he's changing things, and I don't like it."

Demon: "I don't understand why you won't let us go back and kill him?"

Angry, Wyatt forms an energy ball and hovers it in front of the demon, "because he doesn't need to be killed, only stopped. He belongs here, right now. And if you ever suggest that again, I WILL kill you. Now get out of my sight." He dissolves the fireball as the demon bows and exits the room. 'I'll do it myself. You're coming home Christopher, like it or not.' He begins to mix up a potion.

TBC

This is my first fic, so what do you think? I need reviews to continue. I want to make sure I'm doing it right. I have something far more interesting planned for the next section.

Coming Home part 2.

Disclaimer in part 1.

Present

Piper is walking down the stairs when she notices Chris hiding behind the sofa. She immediately tenses up and starts to flick her wrists to blow up whatever he is hiding from. Just as she starts to raise her hands, Chris looks up at her and motions her with a stop gesture.

Frustrated with the waiting, Piper had enough and was about to ask what was going on. Suddenly, her toddler orbed into Chris' lap with his hands covering his eyes and giggling.

Chris: "Oh no, Wyatt, you found me. I guess I just can't hide from you."

Piper: Finally understanding, "o...k., I see, a little hide and seek?"

Chris: shrugs while playing with Wyatt, "uh, well....kind of—just half whitelighter version. We used to play "orb and go seek" a lot when we were younger."

Piper: trying to draw him into a conversation, "so where did he find you from?"

Chris: "I left him in the attic and told him to come find me."

Piper: "from the looks of it, he found you pretty easily."

Chris: looking a bit sad, he said with a sigh, "yeah, he always could. He was much better at it than me. I used to even try to orb to different planes and dimensions to hide from him, at least until I caught & grounded."

Piper noticed that Chris was staring at the top of Wyatt's hair with a far away look on his face and was puzzled by his reaction. "Sounds like you two had a lot of fun."

Chris: Smiling at Wyatt, "yeah, we did." Wyatt had been content to sit in his brother's lap and comfort him with his presence. When Chris smiled at him, Wyatt sensed a change in Chris' demeanor and was ready to play again.

Chris gazed into his brother's sparkling blue eyes and saw the mischief brewing in them—only seconds before he heard the gleeful laughter fade away as Wyatt orbed out for another game.

Chris stood up and was about to go after Wyatt, when Piper asked, "I bet you two are a real handful together, aren't you? Wait--Just tell me now, are you going to grey my hair?"

Chris: tilts his head and smirks before orbing out, "of course, we're Halliwells aren't we?"

Piper shakes her head and talks out loud, "note to self: buy stock in Ms. Clairol." A few hours later....... Paige walks into the manor after her latest temp job covered in green goo. "Hello, is anybody home?"

Piper shouts from the kitchen, "in here Paige." Stares at Paige in shock and begins to laugh when she walks in, "what happed to you. I thought you were going to a "normal" temp job today?" Paige rolls her eyes before flinging a drop of goo from her clothes at Piper, who ducks. "I did. I had to temp as a substitute teacher's aide and chaperone on a picnic. This was a "normal" temp job with no magic, just a lot of unruly kids."

Piper: "so what's that you're dripping all over my floor?"

Paige: "don't ask." She looks around to see if Chris is nearby, "So speaking of unruly kids, what's that nephew of mine been up to, going under cover again?"

Piper: "watch it. That's my son you're talking about. And no, he's not under cover right now, unless you count from Wyatt."

Paige tilts her head as if to silently ask her what she means.

Piper: understanding Paige's question, "he and Wyatt are playing 'orb and go seek'.

Paige: "oh. Cool."

Piper: "they both seem to be enjoying each other's company, but I'm still worried about Chris."

Paige: "why? He seems to be adjusting to being back now that we know who he is."

Piper: "yeah, I know. And he is starting to open up a little more, but this afternoon when I mentioned that Wyatt found him pretty easily; he got sad all of a sudden. I don't understand why saying that would make him feel that way."

Paige: "I get the feeling that they were really close in the future, and maybe he just misses him."

Piper: "maybe." Upstairs, Wyatt starts rubbing his eyes and yawning, signaling the end of their game. Chris picks him up and puts him to sleep for a nap. He pulls the rocking chair up to his crib to watch over him. Hypnotized by the sound of Wyatt's deep even breathing, he is soon pulled into one of his happier memories as a child—back to when they were best friends and he still looked up to him.

A small boy with brown hair hides behind a bush, eyes darting back and forth trying to spot someone. Seconds later, an older sandy-haired child orbs behind him and puts his hand on his shoulder. Sounding disappointed, "Wyatt, you found me again. Why can't you ever just let me win?" Still pouting, "It's not fair, you have more powers than me."

"Chris, it's not about who has more powers. Mom is always telling you that, and she's right. You're still just as powerful, just different than me. You're just gonna have to come up with another way, but I know you can do it." Wyatt smiles at him and playfully tugs Chris' baseball cap over his eyes. Chris tilts his head up to see past the brim of his hat and smiles back at him. Wyatt motions to leave, "come on, we'd better get home before mom grounds us again." With a mischievous grin, Wyatt turns to Chris, "Race ya home?" Both boys could be heard laughing as they disappeared in a swirl of blue lights.

Sitting in the rocking chair, Chris soon recalled another memory, only not so pleasant.

Chris was seventeen now, nearly a man. He went upstairs to his room, bypassing all of the demonic sentries that Wyatt had around the house. Wyatt said that they were there to protect him, only it felt as if they were there to keep him in line. 'Yeah right, if he only knew!' he thought. He picked up the phone and dialed one of his most trusted friends. "Danny. Are you guys all set? We have to get the Book of Shadow's tonight. I'll distract him and you go in..." Listening further, "No, it has to be tonight—because in the morning, he's gonna turn this place into a museum, and we'll never get the chance again to find a spell to fix all this." A few hours later, Chris was nervously sitting at the dinner table with Wyatt attempting a conversation. Just then, one of Wyatt's demonic bodyguards bent down and whispered something in his ear. Chris began to fidget even more, fearing that his friend had been caught.

Sneering, Wyatt asked, "What's wrong Chris, you look a bit.........nervous?" He knew he was in trouble now. Before he could answer, two of Wyatt's bodyguards shimmered in holding a wide-eyed Danny between them.

Wyatt jumped up from the table and immediately drew an energy ball and aimed it at Danny. Chris yelled "NO!" and deflected it with his telekinetic powers.

Wyatt only laughed and turned to him. "Chris. Now I know you put Danny up to trying to steal my book. That's not his fault, so why should he have to die for it? So he won't---if YOU can do ONE thing."

Chris held his breath, because he knew that Wyatt was going to ask for something impossible, "What?"

With the loud pounding of his heart, he almost didn't hear his brother's footsteps as he softly approached him.

Grinning maniacally, Wyatt bent down and whispered in his ear, "....Hide from me."

All color drained from both Chris and Danny's face. They both knew that Chris had never successfully hidden from Wyatt in their childhood games of "orb and go seek". And now a life depended on Chris winning this time.

Before Chris could protest, Wyatt spoke again. "For just...one...hour. Chris. If you can do it, I'll let him go and we'll call this a lesson learned. If you can't-- I'll bring you back here and make you watch me kill him. Either way, lesson learned. DO NOT ever cross me again, Christopher. Now go--I'll give you a head start."

Without another word, Chris disappeared in a swirl of blue lights.

Chris woke with a start, beads of sweat and tears pouring down his face. He hadn't even realized that he had been asleep. He could still remember hearing Danny's screams that night as he watched him die painfully at the hands of his brother. He vowed that night that Wyatt would never "find" him again if he could help it. He began the working on his blocking potion the next day. Chris gazed down into the crib at the still sleeping child, "I'm not gonna let this happen again." With that, he went downstairs to find comfort in his mom's presence.

Later that night, everyone went into the family room to watch a movie that they rented from the video store. Piper thought that it would be a good idea (and a good ice-breaker) to involve Chris in family activities; so she let him pick the movie.

Chris is already sitting on the couch as Phoebe starts the movie and moves back to sit in front of the couch. Piper: "scoot over" to Chris as she hands him the bowl of popcorn & sits down.

Paige: sitting next to phoebe on the floor, she turns to look over at Chris. "What did you rent?"

Chris: grinning widely, "one of my favorite movies as a kid."

Paige: "nice, but that still doesn't answer my question." Chris: "you'll see."

They all stare at the screen as the intro credits come on, revealing.....

Phoebe: "the Witches of Eastwick!!!! Don't you get enough of that in real life?" she says with a mock look of horror.

They all turn to him and start throwing popcorn at him, all the while he is laughing hysterically and ducking.

During all of the commotion, no one seemed to notice the blue light coalescing in the kitchen. Leo started to say something to let his presence be known, but decided to watch the interaction silently for a bit. His heart sank when he saw piper push Chris playfully then put her arm around him and lay her head on his shoulder. 'I guess I've been officially replaced. What right does he have to come in here and steal my family--take MY place'. Next thing I know, he'll be raising my son and moving in.' Then he spotted some of Chris's belongings in the foyer. 'Too late.'

The more Leo thought about it, the angrier he got. Just the idea of Chris coming in and "usurping" what he had always felt was his, tore him up inside. With those thoughts, he turned angrily to leave without saying a word.

Everyone was paying attention to the movie and making snide comments on the "reality of being a witch". No one seemed to notice either Leo's entrance nor his hasty retreat.

Before the end of the movie, everyone but Chris had fallen asleep. He gently slid out from where piper had rested her head on his shoulder to put Wyatt to bed. When he stood up, he looked around at everyone and for the first time in years, felt at home. 'I really missed this.'

TBC Thank you for all of the reviews!!! I am really encouraged to write more. Keep'em coming, I still have more in my mind for this saga.

Chapter3. Coming Home

AN: Sorry, but this part does contains a few swear words. It's still not rated "R" yet for the violent scene, but I'm getting closer to that. Thanks for the reviews!!!

Future:

Wyatt is just adding a few of the final ingredients to a potion he has been working on for weeks. One of his demonic bodyguards walks into the room to speak with him.

Bodyguard: "How do you intend to find him through time now that Bianca is dead, Master?"

Wyatt turns to him with a sardonic smile, "Do you doubt my abilities?"

Even his bodyguard's are afraid of him. He immediately stammers, "No, Master. I just wanted to make sure that you and I were thinking along the same lines."

Wyatt seems to enjoy making even the most fearful demons cower at his feet. "And just what were you thinking?"

Bodyguard: "Uh..., I thought that it would involve that potion you've been making?"

Wyatt: "Save it!!!. You have no idea what I've been doing. I DO have a way to get him back, and it has nothing to do with this potion or Bianca."

Bodyguard: "I thought that the potion had something to do with Chris, Master."

Wyatt turns his back to him again to finish adding the last ingredient, "It DOES."

Present:

Chris walked upstairs carrying a sleeping Wyatt. As he is laying him in the crib, he hears the familiar jingle telling him that someone has just popped in. In this house, it could only be one of 2 other people: Paige or Leo. 'Well since I know that Paige is downstairs sprawled out on the floor, that only leaves one other person--who I really don't want to see right now.' Sighing, he speaks without even turning around, "What do you want, Leo?"

Leo: "We need to talk." Before Chris could even utter a word, Leo grabs his shoulder and orbs them out to a deserted P-3.

Chris angrily turns around and extended his hands upward, "What the Hell did you think you were doing?"

Equally as livid, Leo replied, "I was just going to ask...you...the...same... question!" He punctuated the last part of his statement by poking his finger in Chris' chest.

Chris slapped his hand away and yelled at him. "What the Hell do you think I did this time?"

Leo: "It's not what I think Chris, it's what I know!" He nods his head over in the direction of the back office where Chris used to stay.

Chris turns his head to see what Leo is seeing, but is clearly confused. "What?"

Leo grabbed Chris by his upper arm and dragged him over to the office. "What do you see, Chris?"

Chris: Shaking him off, but still not understanding, "Nothing."

Leo put his hands on his hips and was getting angrier by the minute at what he perceived as indifference by Chris. "Thats my point. Nothing. No clothes, no posters, NO BEDDING. Is that just because you're too busy moving into MY WIFE'S BED!!!!", still ranting, "I TRUSTED you to look after my family but I think it's now become clear that you were just looking after your OWN interests!!"

Chris is standing there with his mouth hanging open and staring at Leo in shock. "What???"

He can't contain his anger anymore, and yells back at Leo. "Wait one damned minute there---YES!!! I moved in to the manor. And I did it because SOMEONE had be close enough to protect them since YOU'RE the one who abandoned your family for some stupid-assed job!!!"

Leo: Practically spitting out, "Oh, and close you got. I SAW you tonight on the couch...."

Chris was so angry that he could barely see straight. He hardly even heard what Leo was still ranting about. 'I wish I could just blast him across the room! Stop it Chris--gotta calm yourself down---that wouldn't go over real well with Mom.' At that thought, he smiled to himself, almost completely tuning Leo out.

ALMOST...he caught the end of Leo's ranting. When Leo saw that Chris was grinning, he decided to goad him even further. "Was that your plan all along, Christopher, get me replaced as their Whitelighter so you could move in and raise Wyatt? Is THAT how he turns? Under your guidance to instruct him in evil ways?"

Chris had enough by this point. He flicked his wrist at Leo and sent him crashing across the room onto the couch. 'Oh well, I tried. Mom'll get over it.'

Leo picks himself up. He was seething, "You little son of a...."

Chris: holding his hand up as a threat, "DON'T finish that sentence if you know what's good for you, Leo. You don't know what you're talking about. You don't have a clue now, and you never did. At least some things never change. I came back here to protect them--and that's all you need to know. Stay the hell the away from me, or maybe next time I won't make sure that there's a couch to cushion your sorry ass." With that statement, Chris orbed out to go back to the manor.

Leo is now more convinced than ever that Chris is evil and up to no good. 'I just have to find a way to prove it now'.

TBC........................

AN: Thanks everyone, lovin' the reviews!!! I'm sorry these chapters are so short, but I'm writing between 2 jobs & waiting for feedback to continue each one.

Chris orbs into his new room in the manor. He jumped down on the bed and locked his hands behind his head. Staring up at the ceiling, he could feel the familiar feelings of hurt and anger towards his father returning. He thought that he had left most of those behind when he decided to step through that portal. 'Why do I let him get to me like this?' He thought back to all of the times as a child when he felt like he didn't have a father. The missed birthdays, holidays, and other special events that his dad couldn't make because he was too busy saving the world. 'Well mom did it to, and she was never too busy.' He always' felt like he was missing out on something---something important. Chris felt his eyes water up....

Downstairs, everyone else had long since woken up to get into their beds, except for Piper. She had waited up for Chris when she woke up and found him gone. Within the hour, she heard the distinct sound of someone orbing in upstairs and decided to go say goodnight. She tip-toed through the hall to Chris's room and rapped softly on the door, "Chris, can I come in?" Before waiting for a response, she slowly pushed open the door giving him time to object if he wanted to.

He was startled by her entrance and didn't want her to see his tears. He immediately flicked his hand up toward the ceiling light and blew it out; then he turned over to face the wall. "Mom, I was just about to go to sleep."

Piper wasn't fooled by his sudden rejection. She had seen the tear tracks on his face before he blew the light and knew something was wrong. She padded softly over to his bed and sat down on the edge. "What's wrong, Chris?"

Chris: Still facing the wall, he replied "Nothing."

Hearing the sadness in his voice, she was determined to make things better. She started to reach out to him but then quickly pulled her hand back; uncertain how he would react. She chided herself, 'Oh come on, Piper, you're being silly. You're his mother, there's nothing wrong with comforting your own child—even if he is fully grown!' Hesitantly, she reached out and tenderly stroked his hair and tried again "It doesn't seem that way."

Chris: "I'm really tired, Mom. I just want to get some sleep." He knew that if she stayed any longer, he may not be able to hold it in—and he absolutely did not want to cry in front of her.

Piper: "Chris, you know you can talk to me, whatever this is about, right?"

They sat there in silence just like that for some time. So long in fact, that Piper didn't think that she would ever hear what was going through his mind. It surprised her when he spoke softly, "I don't think he ever wanted me."

By his words, she immediately knew who

"he" was, but wanted to confirm it. "Your father?" He just nodded his head.

Piper: "Honey, why would you think that? I mean I know that Leo can be..." trying to find the words, "Well I know that he sometimes has his head in the clouds, ah literally," this managed to get a small laugh out of Chris. "But, I can see the way he cares for Wyatt, and I know he'll love you too when he finds out."

Chris: sounding drained, "yeah well, that's the problem. Wyatt always came first. Wyatt was chosen to WIELD Excalibur. He always got to go "Up There" to train on how to use it and develop his powers. Wyatt got to spend time with him, and I wasn't allowed to go with them. Leo said it was because the other Elder's forbid it. I guess that's why I was so close to Grandpa. Everytime they went up there, you'd call him and I'd go get him & hang out."

Hearing the disappointment in his voice caused a pang of grief to well up in her chest. She knew all too well the pain of growing up with an absentee father. Piper still harbored some feelings of resentment towards Victor; although he HAS been trying to be a father to her now. "Chris. I do understand how you feel. I hadn't even seen MY father until a few years ago. But I'm really glad that he has been so much a part of your life, just not glad of the reason he's had to be. You may have come back to protect us, but from here on out—I promise you, Chris; that I will do everything in my power to protect YOU and make sure that none of that has to happen."

She put her hand on his arm to turn him, but he resisted. "Chris. Look at me,"

Reluctantly, he does as she asks. Even in the dark, the moonlight is shining on her face and he can see the truth in her eyes.

Chris: feeling safe, 'maybe everything will be ok after all'.

Future....

Wyatt is bottling to two different potions that he has been working steadily on for several weeks. He looks up as one of his Demonic Bodyguards shimmers in and bows to him.

Bodyguard: "Master, we have retrieved what you asked for."

Wyatt: Nodding his head, "Good. Bring it here."

His bodyguard shimmer's out and a few seconds later, back in with four other guards carrying a large rectangular stone.

Wyatt admires the stone as he circles it. With a grin, he announces to his guards, "Excellent. We're ready to proceed...."

TBC...... AN: Hmm. Chris' last thought---Don't count on it!!!!!! :)

Coming Home—Chapter 5 This chapter is rated "R" for violence when Wyatt and Chris meet up again. The rest of the story will probably remain "PG-13".

The manor is eerily quite right now; as if it knows that something is about to happen. Everyone is sleeping peacefully in their beds. Well, everyone except for Chris who is tossing & turning--feeling uneasy even in his sleep....

Future...

Wyatt turns to his bodyguards, "Prepare both his room and a cell in the lower level. I'll let him make the choice where he stays. Now Leave. I need to concentrate." He speaks out loud to no one in particular, "Chris, you didn't take your blocking potion today—you're slipping. Now I just need one more thing...." Moments later, Wyatt is left alone in the room while sitting on the stone. He closes his eyes and begins to think of Chris. At first, the images in his mind are fuzzy. But the more he focuses on Chris, the clearer they become—and the closer he will be to finding him. All he has ever needed was a clear picture of him in his mind, after all---that's how he's always found him before. He grins wickedly and opens his eyes the moment the mental picture of his brother becomes crystal clear. He orbs back to the past moments later in pursuit of his wayward little brother.

Present....

Wyatt orbs in and is standing over Chris' still sleeping form. He holds his hands out over him and begins to chant almost silently, "Before the passing of this hour, take away all his powers." With that, he sits down on the edge of the bed and leaned over him. He hovers one hand over Chris' shoulder, while reaching for the first potion from his pocket to pour a drop on Chris' forehead. The liquid waking him, Chris bolted upright. For a brief moment, he thought he was dreaming—at least until Wyatt shoved him back down onto the bed and grabbed him by the throat. Chris tried to pry Wyatt's hand from his neck with one hand, while attempting to throw him off telekinetically with the other. 'It didn't work', he thought. He tried again, and when that didn't work, he tried to orb out of his grasp. But, still nothing! He tried to relax since struggling only seemed to make Wyatt tighten his grip.

Wyatt: "Hi Chrissy. Miss me?" He said calmly, "Oh, and in case you were wondering, I removed your powers. I wouldn't want to go flying across the room or anything." Holding up the first potion, "And this. This I made Just.For.You. It'll prevent you from being your typical rude self and orbing away JUST when I'm trying to talk you."

Chris was really starting to panic now. He knew he didn't stand a chance against Wyatt without any powers. He didn't want to risk getting them hurt, but for survival's sake, he did the only thing he could at the moment. "Mom! Paige! Phoebe!"

The sisters all woke with a start and came running to his room. Hearing her son's panicked shout, her motherly instincts drove her to be the first to reach his room. When she reached the doorway, infuriated by the sight of what she thought was a demon holding her youngest down by the throat, she angrily tried to blow him up, "Get a away from him!!" When that didn't work, Phoebe levitated and tried to kick him away. He pointed his finger at her and sent her crashing out of the window. Everyone in the room but Wyatt yelled, "Phoebe!!" Paige's quick thinking allowed her to orb out of the window and catch her before she hit the ground." With both Phoebe and Paige out of the house, he took one hand and motioned a circle in the air—creating an invisible force field around the house. When Phoebe and Paige tried to get back in, they were literally stunned by the field's electric charge, preventing anyone's entry into the manor.

Piper and Chris were now alone with Wyatt.

Outside...

Phoebe: Frustrated, "Try orbing in again."

Paige: "I've already tried that!! SEVERAL times. It didn't work!"

Phoebe: "What are we gonna do?"

Paige: Looks up, "LEO!!!!!! LEO!!! We need you, NOW!!! PIPER needs you!!!!"

Leo orbs down immediately, "What's wrong? What happened? Where are Piper and Wyatt?" Looking around suspiciously, his voice lowered "More importantly—Where's Chris?"

Phoebe: Annoyed by his attitude toward Chris, she put her hand on her hips, "Look, we don't have time for explanations or your "Issues" with him. Right now, at this very moment, there is a demon upstairs with all three of them, and none of our powers seemed to work on him. They're defenseless against him in there! He could be killing them! What are we gonna do, we can't get back in?"

Leo: "Did he go after Wyatt?"

Paige: Shrugging her shoulders, "No, he went straight for Chris. When we got there, he was holding him down and he couldn't seem to orb away"

Leo: "Figures, probably some deal gone wrong. If he has done something that has endangered my family, I'll kill him myself."

Phoebe: Hearing enough of his ranting, she yelled at him "Enough already, Leo. We have to help them, ALL of them, including Chris. If they're still alive in there, then I have a feeling that by the end of the night, you're going to have to brush off your knee pads, pal."

Leo looked her quizzically, unsure of her comment. He turned to Paige, hoping for an explanation. She seemed equally as annoyed with him and gave no hint of an answer.

Inside.....

As soon as Phoebe had been flung out of the window, Piper picked up a lamp and tried to smash it on the demon holding down her son. Unbothered by her attempts, he merely laughed and blew up the lamp before she even got near him. She looked shocked for a few seconds before he reached out with his hand and held her in place with one hand; the other still holding Chris. Wyatt extended and withdrew his hand a few times before Piper finally found herself backed up against the wall.

Chris resumed his struggling when he saw Piper in danger. "Leave her alone Wyatt! She has nothing to do with this!"

Piper's eyes widened when she heard Chris call him Wyatt. Before she could even begin to form a sentence questioning this, Wyatt turned to her with an angelic expression, "Look what I can do, Mom". The familiar blue force field that he used to put up as baby appeared around him. He picked at it with his fingers and threw it—effectively caging her.

Stunned, she listened intently as Wyatt leaned over Chris and spoke again.

Wyatt: "Yes, she does. And maybe I won't hurt her if she doesn't do anything stupid." He nodded his head over to her and baited him, "Is this why you came back? You wanted to see your "mommy" again? You always were such a little momma's boy. I'll break you out of that yet!"

Chris tried to take Wyatt's focus off his mom, "Well you should talk, you little "daddy's boy." Seeing that he could get a rise out of Wyatt, he continued treading dangerously, "All the power that you had, you still couldn't stop Leo from bossing you around."

Piper could see what Chris was doing and that he was angering Wyatt. "Chris, STOP IT!"

Ignoring her pleas, Chris snickered, "Every time he'd say 'come on Wyatt, we have to go up and train', you just dropped whatEVER you were doing—and went like an obedient little puppy. Oh, yeahhhhh. That's SOME power you got there!"

Wyatt lost it. Incensed with Chris' taunting, he tightened his grip on his throat and began to squeeze.

Piper: pounding on the force field, "Wyatt, NO! Please stop! Stop IT, he's your brother!!!" She started to cry seeing that Chris was loosing consciousness.

Hearing the word "brother" made Wyatt stop. He sighed, "You always did know how to push my buttons. But that's gonna have to stop." Menacingly, "I'll teach you ALL about that when we get home."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Chris said "You're crazy if you think I'm going back there with you. I'm not going anywhere until I fix whatever went wrong and made you turn. This isn't how it's supposed to be, Wyatt, and YOU KNOW IT!"

Wyatt spat back angrily, "You're right, Christopher, it isn't. Combined, we are the two most powerful beings walking this earth---and we are meant to RULE it. Together. There is no good magic or evil magic---there's only US!"

Piper: 'How did my baby get so twisted around? And how did my other baby stay sane around him?' she thought to herself. Out loud she pleaded with him, "Wyatt, he's right. You're not supposed to turn out like this. Tell me what did I do wrong, baby, and I'll fix it."

Wyatt: Repulsed by her begging, "Don't try to mother me now. The only thing I need for you to do is pay close attention to what I'm about to say. Cause he's not going to be focused enough for it."

Turning back to Chris, he waived his hand over his body and the soft bed that he had been laying on quickly turned to a hard slab of stone. "Know this: I didn't want to have to do it this way Chris, but you gave me no other choice."

Holding Chris down with one hand, Wyatt looked to his raised hand as Excalibur materialized in it.

Recognition shown in Chris' eyes as he finally comprehended what he was laying on—The re-molded stone that imprisoned Excalibur. Horrified, he renewed his struggles fervently, but with no success.

Piper's terror soared with the realization of what was about to happen. Tears pouring down her face, she frantically pounded on the force field, screaming and pleading with him. "WYATT!! PLEASE.DON'T IT!! NOOOOO..........."

Wyatt ignored her and thrust the sword through Chris' stomach and imbedding it into the stone. He immediately withdrew the second potion from his pocket and emptied it down the shaft of the sword and into the wound.

Callously, he stalked over to Piper and demanded her attention. Piper had slid down to the floor when she saw the sword being plunged into him. 'My baby!' Still sobbing hysterically at having to watch Chris' gasps and labored breathing, she found it difficult to focus on Wyatt's words.

Wyatt: Yelling, "I said GET UP!!!"

TBC......................................... Sorry to end it there, but I just gotta wait for the next review to finish up here. They encourage me to keep going. :) Thanks.

Coming Home—Chapter 6

AN: SO sorry about the cliffhanger, I hate them too! but I didn't have a choice since I had to go to work & was almost late. I was just lucky I got to that part.

And thanks sooooo much for the reviews—I've even found a way to work the ideas into the story.

Don't worry, I think a lot of your questions should be answered with this chapter, which is rated "PG13".

Upstairs….

Wyatt: Standing in front of the force field, he tried again to get Piper's attention, "MOM!"

Piper puts her hand on the wall behind her to push herself up. Hearing this "animal" calling her "mom" sent shockwaves of cold fury over her. Her eyes narrowing, she shot him a murderous glance and lowered her voice, "How....DARE….YOU…call me…MOM. You're NO son of mine. I'd say you were a real bastard, but I wouldn't want to talk bad about your father."

Wyatt looked shocked by her words, and a momentary look of hurt flashed in his eyes. He quickly recovered--once again hardening his expression.

Piper saw this change, but filed it away in her memory for future reference.

Wyatt: "Did you hear anything I just said to you?"

Piper: "No. I was kind of BUSY watching the Halliwell version of Cain and Abel!" Pointing to Chris, "Now get over there and HEAL him. I KNOW you have the power to do it!"

Wyatt: "Yeah, well that's gonna be a problem. And you would know that if you had been LISTENING to me." He held the potion bottle between his thumb and index finger, then showed it to her. "This……has my blood mixed in it—and that will prevent me from being able to heal him until I take the cure in the future. It also contains a poison that will eventually kill him if I don't administer the antidote when we get back. It's stronger than any darklighter poison you've ever seen." Looking over at Chris, "He has to go back."

Piper: Throwing her hands up, "Why did you have to hurt him?"

Wyatt: "He's linked to that stone now." Seemingly amused, "In more ways than one, I guess," "Just like Excalibur is linked to it; AND it's owner—me. From now on, when I call him—he'll have no choice but to come."

Piper: Her eyes still watering, but no longer pooling down her face. She points to Chris, "But you didn't have to do that! THAT was barbaric! Why didn't you just come and drag him back like you sent Bianca to do! You're still not making any sense! WHY did you do this!?"

Wyatt: Exasperated, "Well, let me explain it to you, because you don't seem to be GETTING it—I…DON'T….HAVE…THE…SPELL…TO….GET….BACK! ONLY.…CHRIS….DOES!"

Wyatt: Grinning, "That's right, if he doesn't get us back---he dies! And I stay right here," Pointing to her stomach, "and start from scratch."

Her eyes widening at the prospect, she tried blasting the force field repeatedly.

Wyatt rolled his eyes at her attempts and walked back over to a now unconscious Chris. None to gently, he turned his head to the side and put his fingers to his neck. He angrily addressed her again, "WOULD you STOP tyring to blow it up?!! You're magic DOESN'T work against a charmed one."

Piper shouted back, "YOU'RE not! Just because I'm one, doesn't mean it automatically got passed to you. Being a Charmed One requires the Power of Three."

Sarcastically, "Where do you think I draw my power from?" Shaking his head, "Look. None of that is important right now. Just get him to remember the spell…"

Piper: Interrupting him, "He's never going to recite that spell, because he's never going to go with you willingly."

Wyatt: "Then I guess your just going to have to convince him, won't you? When you do, tell him to call for me. He knows how. I'll be around." He looked back to Chris, "Now call for Dad. And Hurry." Without another word, he orbed out of the manor and released all force fields.

Piper was unprepared for the sudden disappearance of the field and stumbled forward. She immediately called for Leo and rushed to Chris' side.

Outside……

Leo is in the middle of arguing with Paige on how to get in the manor, when he suddenly looks up at the house. "Piper's calling me. I couldn't hear her before. She sounds scared. And angry!" Glancing at Paige, they both nodded in silent agreement to try again. Paige took Phoebe's arm and all three orbed back into the manor.

Inside….

They all materialized into the bedroom just as Piper had reached Chris.

Gasping at the what they saw, Phoebe and Paige both started to say something but Piper cut them off, "Leo, I need you to heal him."

Paige tried to call for the sword, but Piper bluntly pushed her out of the way knowing that she alone could remove it as the new "lady of the lake". She reached over and gently pulled Excalibur out and threw it on the ground.

No one noticed it disappear.

Piper climbed up on the bed and placed his head in her lap. Stroking his hair back from his forehead, she rocked him gently. Murmuring softly "Don't leave me, Chris. I can't loose you now". She threw her head up, "NOW LEO!! He doesn't have much time!"

Leo had been too focused on Piper's bulging stomach to react. Realizing that time was of the essence, Paige hovered her hands over Chris' wound. Broken out of his reverie, Leo is spurred into action when he sees Paige trying to heal. With their combined efforts, the wound began to close up quickly. Chris soon took a deep breath and opened his eyes in confusion. He spotted Piper first and started to call her mom before quickly catching himself when he saw Leo, "M…man. Uh, Piper, What's going on?"

A little confused at his reaction, Piper questioned him, "You don't remember?"

Chris shook his head, "No. The last thing I remember is going to sleep," he added shyly, "uh, after that light up there blew out."

Piper: getting the message not to mention their talk earlier, "R..i…ght. Ok. Well how do you feel?"

Chris: "I feel a little nauseous," He tried to sit up but quickly fell back down. "And, maybe just a little bit dizzy—but I don't know why"

Paige: "Well I do. It may have something to do with…." She trailed off that sentence as Piper shook her head telling her not to say anything, "…the flu you must have gotten."

Phoebe catching on to the train of thought, "Y..e..ah. We had to call Leo because we didn't want to risk exposure by taking you to a hospital."

Leo just stared at them in disbelief before huffing, "Yeah right." He orbed away without waiting for an explanation for their apparent deception.

Thinking that Chris and Piper would be more forthcoming with answers now that Leo had gone, Phoebe asked again, "So what happened?"

Chris shook his head and looked to Piper questioningly, "I don't know"

Piper: "You really don't remember?"

Chris: "No."

Piper: "Well than I guess that's a good thing."

Paige looked at him and noticed something. "Chris, you don't look so good—you look a bit flushed."

Piper touched his forehead and determined that he had a fever since he was hot to the touch. Her heart sank in realization. In all of the time since Chris had come back from the future, she had never seen him sick except when he had been affected by the darklighter poison. She had hoped that he was only bluffing, but Wyatt had made good on his threat of the poison. Reluctantly, she asked "Chris, I need you to do something for me…"

Chris: "Sure, What?"

Piper: "I need you to write down the spell that you used to get back here."

Chris: "What!, No—Why? It's too dangerous to risk having it anywhere but in my mind where he can't get it. If I write it down, Wyatt may be able to find it in the future and come back here!"

Piper: exasperated jumped up and paced back and forth, "Chris! Just do it, ok." Seeing him still shaking his head, "I'm your mother, just DO it because I asked you to, OK?"

He wasn't ready to give in yet, "No. I can't. I'm sorry. But I can't"

Piper: Now clearly upset, she decided to try another method, "WHY can't you EVER just do ONE thing I ask?" She hurried out of the room and stomped down the hallway. Moments later, her door could be heard slamming.

Phoebe and Paige looked to each other, then back to Chris. All had a look of disbelief on their faces.

Shrugging her shoulders, Paige tried to offer an explanation for Piper's sudden outburst, "Huh. Hormones."

Phoebe rolled her eyes and left to go and talk with Piper.

With Paige still in the room, Chris shivered and suddenly seemed to notice the cold, hard stone he was sitting on. Looking to her for an explanation, "Where did this come from?"

Paige: "Beats me. Now call me crazy, but if I were you------I'd go for a futon."

TBC…………

AN: now, that should answer quite a few more questions. So, what do you think?


	2. Coming Home Chapters 7 to 12

Coming home—chapter 7

Tentatively, Phoebe knocks on Piper's door, "Can I come in?" She gets no response, so she enters to find Piper pacing the floor. Trying to lighten the mood, "You know, you're gonna wear a hole in the floor if you keep that up"

Piper stops, momentarily glaring at Phoebe, then continues her pacing.

Seeing that her attempt didn't work, she presses on with the real reason for her visit, "You want to tell me what happened back there?"

Piper continues her pacing while shaking her head, "No."

Annoyed at Piper's evasiveness, she folds her arms in front of her defensively, "Ok. Well let me rephrase that—What the hell was THAT all about! What happened to the demon, and why are you down here wearing grooves into the floor instead of being upstairs searching the Book of Shadows to figure out who just IMPALED your SON!"

Angry at the accusation, Piper turned on her and fired back, "BECAUSE I KNOW WHO DID IT!" Sounding exhausted, "And it wasn't a demon". She motioned for Phoebe to shut the door.

Seeing Piper loose some of her strength, she put her arms around her older sister and guided her to the bed to sit down. She nodded at Piper silently urging her to continue.

Piper: "It was Wyatt—from the future"

Phoebe: Looking horrified, "Wyatt did this?" Piper nodded in affirmation, so she continued, "But why?"

Piper: "I don't really know. I mean he said that by doing that, Chris would be linked to the stone like Excalibur is—and that he would have to go to Wyatt whenever he called him."

Phoebe: "Ok. I guess that sort of makes sense—in a really sick and twisted way. But what doesn't make sense; is why Chris doesn't remember, and why YOU went all nuts back there with him?"

Piper: Sighing, "I don't know why he doesn't remember. But I think it has to do with why I "went all nuts with him" She paused, "Wyatt poisoned him." Her eyes watering again, "I think he's dying"

Phoebe: "Oh—Honey" hugging her tighter, "We'll find a cure"

Shaking her head, "I don't think so. Not here--Wyatt has to give him the antidote in the future. He made sure of that!" Piper jumped up from the bed and folded her arms in front of the window. Quietly, she spoke "He wants to take him back"

Phoebe: Shaking her head in disbelief, "No—Piper! You can't seriously be considering this! After what he did to him tonight, you can't trust him enough to send Chris back with him."

Piper: Spinning to face her again, "Don't you think I know that! What am I gonna do? I can't just let him die—I promised him I'd protect him..."

Phoebe stands up and takes her hands, "Piper—we'll FIND another way. He is not...going...to...die. And he is not going back either!" Phoebe wraps her arms around her for comfort.

As Piper is embraced by her sibling, her thoughts are clouded with doubt. 'I just don't know if I can take that chance.'

Golden Gate Bridge.....

Leo is staring at the water below with his hands in his pockets. Waves of sadness washed over him as he pondered tonight's events, 'She sure didn't waste anytime. I can't believe she's pregnant! How could she do this—what ever happened to that love for me that she claimed she never lost.' As Leo thought about the situation, he hears someone orbing in behind him. Assuming it was Chris, he angrily spun on his heels prepared for confrontation. Weary of this stranger, "Who are you?"

Wyatt adopted an innocent expression, "You don't recognize me? Everyone always said that I looked just like you..."

Leo: Surprised, "Wyatt?"

Wyatt: "Yeah, Dad. It's me. It's really great to see you again."

To Leo, it didn't seem that Wyatt was the evil that Chris claimed to be running from. Sounding a bit unsure, "Chris told us that..."

Interrupting him, "Wait—let me guess: That I was evil. That I had turned?"

Leo: Stammering, "Yeah."

Wyatt: Feigning innocence, "Come on, Dad. You know me better than that! I came back here to stop Chris from destroying the future. That's why he came back, but he took the spell to get here. I tried before to stop him. I sent his fiancée back to talk some sense into him and bring him back—to strip him of his powers so he wouldn't be a threat to anyone anymore, But..."

Leo: "But we screwed that up. We gave him his powers back and allowed him to escape..."

Wyatt smiled tenderly and put his hand on his father's shoulders, "Don't beat yourself up about it, Dad. It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known."

Leo: Pursing his lips, "Who is he?"

Wyatt seemed taken aback by his question, "I'm sorry Dad. If you don't already know, I can't tell you. It might screw up the future in even worse ways."

Leo: "You sound exactly like someone else I THOUGHT I knew." Almost as an afterthought, "What happened tonight?"

Wyatt shaking his head sadly, "When I came to take him back, he tried to kill me. I didn't have a choice—I had to use Excalibur....And...do that...", he begins to cry "to strip him of his powers. It was the only way"

Leo saw how difficult it was for Wyatt and put his arms around him.

Wyatt: "I think he'll be ok—GOOD again once I get him back to the future without his powers. That is, IF I can get us back..."

Leo: "What do you mean?"

Wyatt: "Only Chris has the spell to get back. He's never going to give it to me willingly", sounding hopeful.

Leo: "He can be good again?" He felt sympathy for the young whitelighter who had apparently had something go so wrong in his young life, that he had turned. But at the same time, he was a bit relieved that he could stop Chris from disrupting their lives. And now that Piper was pregnant, he couldn't leave her like that to raise two children alone. Once he sent Chris back, he would have to take over the responsibility to be a father to both children. 'Somewhere down the line in the future, he'll thank me for this.' Outloud he said, "What can I do to help?"

Wyatt merely grinned angelically.

TBC...........

AN: I know, I know, I know---Cliffhangers, Argh!!! But I really do have to go to work, so I'll update again really soon—just afterwards. :)

Reviews? Anyone? How am I doing?

Coming home-Chapter 8 AN: I think it may be time to mention the disclaimer again—I don't own charmed or any of the characters. Sigh :( But, I'll do my best with em'.

I really can't stress this enough---Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU!!!! for all of the wonderful reviews. They really get me moving into the next chapters. :)

Chris just rolled his eyes as Paige walked out. He placed his hands on the stone and tried to orb the stone away. Nothing happened. 'Ok. That's never happened before. Here we go again.' He tried again unsuccessfully. 'Man, I must have been really sick. I'd better get Aunt Paige to get it out of here.' "Paige...."

Anxiously, Paige orbs back in, "What's the matter Chris? Are you feeling OK?"

Chris: "Yeah, I guess I feel alright. But I must have been really drained, because I can't orb this thing out of here", pointing at the stone.

Paige: "Here let me try."

He looks up at her sardonically, "and don't call for it like you usually do—it may be too heavy to catch in the palm of your hand."

Paige: She walks over to him and playfully smacks him upside his head, "Smartass..."

Chris: Grinning, "I learned it from you"

Paige puts her hand on the stone, glancing up at him before speaking, "Are you sure you want me to get rid of it?" He arched his eyebrow as if to silently say, 'what do you think'. She gets his message and grins wickedly, "OK."

She orbs it out—right from under him. Of course there's nothing there to cushion his fall, so he drops to floor. "Ouch" Rubbing his behind muttering, "you really have to be careful what you wish for in this house."

Hearing the thud, Piper and Phoebe raced into his room in a panic. Piper seemed very annoyed, while Phoebe on the other hand saw the humor in the situation. Seeing him on the floor nursing his latest "wound", she couldn't resist ribbing him, "Paige got rid of it for you, huh?" She was grinning all the while extending her hand to help him up.

As Phoebe helped him up, he doubled over in pain. All traces of humor vanishing, Piper and Phoebe raced to support him on either side and lead him to the rocking chair.

Piper: Looking on worriedly, "What's wrong?"

Chris: "I don't know. I just suddenly got a really bad pain in my stomach." Looking up at her nervously, "I thought that Leo healed me?"

Piper "he did as much as he could."

Chris: Shaking his head, "Yeah right. He probably just healed me enough so that I wouldn't blow our cover and have to go to the hospital. He's probably still pretty pissed..."

Piper: Looks to Phoebe, then back at Chris confused, "What do you mean? Why would Leo be mad at you?"

Chris: Looking down at his feet, "I don't know."

Piper doesn't believe him. She looks to Phoebe, who also thinks that he is not telling the truth. She crosses her arms in front her with a stern look, "Chris..."

Defiantly, he crosses his arms and arrogantly replies, "Piper..."

Piper: "Don't you "Piper" me. What did you do?"

Chris: "Nothing."

Piper: Raising her voice, "CHRISTOPHER PERRY HALLIWELL, You had better answer me right now mister..."

He looked up at her as that got his attention. He always knew when she was really pissed: she would call him by his FULL name. Giving in, he looked down at his feet sheepishly answering, "I uh, kind of..." he begins to trail off,

Piper: "spit it out"

Chris: "flung him across the room at P3."

Phoebe and Piper both shouted at the same time, "YOU WHAT!"

Chris shouted back defensively, "Well he was asking for it!"

Piper: "Explain!"

Chris: "I'd rather not. Let's just say that he's not too happy about me moving in here."

Phoebe tried to scold him, "Chris, that's no excuse..."

Piper now understanding why he came home upset last night, defended her son's actions, "he probably was asking for it. You know how Leo can get sometimes."

Chris looked up at his mom, glad that she was on his side.

Piper: still sounding hopeful, "Maybe he didn't heal him completely if he was angry with him. I mean, that would explain why he is still kind of weak, right?"

Phoebe jumped at this idea, "ABSOLUTELY! Now we just have to drag Leo's butt back here to finish what he started!"

Piper and Phoebe both called at the same time, "LEO!"

Golden Gate Bridge.....

Leo: "They're calling me. We should go."

Wyatt: "No, you go ahead. I don't want Chris to know you're helping me. Besides, Mom was REAL angry with me when I left. She didn't really understand why I did what I did."

Leo: "Well then, we'll just tell her...."

Wyatt: Jumps in quickly, "NO!! She won't understand, not after tonight. I had been hoping to take him back quietly, so there wold be no misunderstandings. Look, you're going to have to be real—subtle with her. Convince her that sending him back is for the best...You may even have to move back in; you know, keep an eye on him."

Leo: Breathing out deeply, "We'll see what happens. I think her "interests" lie elsewhere at the moment. So where will you be? How can I find you?"

Wyatt: "just come back here when you find something—I'll know when you're here."

Leo: "How?"

Wyatt: shyly, "Oh, it's just one of my powers. I guess it's a combination of Aunt Phoebe's empathy with your Whitelighter senses. If I can get a clear picture of you, I can find you anywhere."

Leo: understanding, "That's how you got back here tonight, isn't it? You "sensed" Chris and it brought you to him?"

Wyatt: "Bingo! But that's also why I can't get back. Chris is HERE. So this is going to be a one way trip unless I can get the spell to return home....."

Leo: "Don't worry, Son. We'll get it. And we'll fix this. Now, I'd better go. She's calling me again." With that, he orbed off to the manor leaving a smiling Wyatt alone on the bridge.

Manor......

"LEO!!! Where ARE you?"

Chris: "Mom, don't bother—I'm fine. Or at least, I will be."

Piper looks down at him in the chair, "Let me be the judge of that, OK?"

Leo orbs in, "What's the matter?" Glancing down at Chris suspiciously, he quickly catches himself and replaces the look with one of concern.

Piper: "You didn't finish healing him, Leo"

Leo: Defensively, "Yes, I did."

Piper: "Oh really!" She grabbed his hand and dragged it to Chris' forehead, "If you healed him PROPERLY, do you think that he would still be running a fever?" Chris was annoyed that Leo had his hand on him and smacked both of their hands away from him. "He doesn't even have any of his powers—he can't orb"

Chris: "HELLO! I'm still in the room. Stop talking about me like I'm not here!"

Piper: Points to Chris, "You—hush." Points to Leo, "You—heal!"

Despite Leo's continued protests that he had done it right the first time, he tried again. His face showed a look of surprise when it didn't heal any further this time.

Piper: Slapping her hands against her thighs, "Come on, Leo—you're not trying hard enough!"

Leo: Stops what he's doing and turns to her, "Piper. I'm serious. It's NOT working."

Piper grabs his arms and pulls him out of the room, "I need to talk to you."

Chris tries to object, "Piper, forget it."

She ignores him now and drags Leo to her bedroom.

Piper: Slamming the door, "Look, I know you're annoyed with him—but you have to focus OK?"

Leo: "Piper..."

Piper: "No Leo..."

Chris' room.....

Chris looked to Phoebe, "you think she's gonna tell him?"

Phoebe: "I don't know." Conspiratorially, "Let's go find out". She helps him up and they tiptoed down the hall to Piper's room. Quietly turning the doorknob to peek in, they listened to the heated argument inside.

Leo: Throwing his hands up in frustration, "I WAS trying, Piper. Like I said before, I don't know why it didn't work!!"

Piper: "He told me that the two of you got into a fight last night."

Leo: "Yeah, well did he also tell you that he threw me across the room just because I asked him a question?"

Piper: Putting her hands on her hips, "Well, with the way you've been treating him since he got here, I'd say you probably had it coming."

Leo: Raising his voice, "Well I've had good reason! Look how much trouble he has brought into this house in the short time he's been here—tonight for instance. And look at the situation he's put you in now!"

Piper: Narrowing her eyes, "Just what's that supposed to mean?"

Leo: Pointing to her stomach, "As if raising one magical child wasn't enough, now he's put you in the situation of having to raise two! This is just typical "Chris" behavior—irresponsible!"

Piper fired back, "If you want to talk about "IRRESPONSIBLE", then look in the MIRROR!!! Is that what you said to him last night?" Furious with him at this point and getting no answer, she pressed on, "You know what Leo—Now I KNOW you had it coming! I don't want to talk to you right now—because if we continue this conversation, SOMEONE'S gonna get blown up!" She flicked both her wrists at him, intending to freeze him. Instead of being frozen, he went flying backwards out of the open window. She covered her mouth with her hand, "OH!"

In shock, Piper ran to the window where Leo was just orbing himself down to safety. She called down to him, "Are you ok?" He just stared up at her in disbelief. "I'll take that as a yes. GOODNIGHT!" She slammed the window shut and closed the curtains, ending their "discussion" for now. As Piper turned around, she noticed Chris and Phoebe peeking in the door trying to control their laughter.

Phoebe: "PIPER!"

Piper: Crosses her arms defensively, "WHAT!"

Phoebe: Still laughing, "Piper, you tossed your husband out the window. Do you KNOW how many people I would LOVE to give that advice to in my column, "Dear Phoebe—My husband just did something incredibly stupid and pissed me off—What should I do....Dear Reader...Flick em' out the window!"

Piper: "EX-husband, Phoebe. And I didn't do it on purpose. I actually meant to freeze him. But he DID deserve it! Did you hear what he said to me?"

Phoebe: "yes, and I totally agree. I guess you're getting some new powers, huh?"

Chris spoke up for the first time, "Actually, they're mine. Well, not "mine" right now being as I have no powers; but baby mine."

Phoebe: Understanding, "Oh...Yeah, that's right. When you were pregnant with Wyatt, he could heal you."

Paige orbs back in and senses that something just happened, "What'd I miss?"

Everyone chorused in, "A Lot!"

TBC......

Coming home: Chapter 9

A few weeks later....

Piper is looking in on Chris while he sleeps fitfully. Phoebe walks up and wraps her arm around her. Closing his door and guiding her back out into the hall, "How's he doing?"

Piper: Sighs, "after last night, I'm not so sure. This latest seizure was a really bad one; the worst so far. He was in so much pain, and there was nothing I could do for him. I can't even get the fever down a little bit."

Phoebe: "You know he stopped eating."

Piper: "I know. He can't keep anything besides water down. And he's getting so thin." Sounding hopeful, "how's Paige coming along with the potion?"

Phoebe: Shaking her head, "I'm sorry honey, but she can't seem to find anything to counteract the poison, especially since she doesn't know what's in it."

Piper: "I summoned Grahms this morning."

Phoebe: "What did she say?"

Piper: "Nothing we haven't already tried. I don't know what else to do..."

Phoebe: "Maybe we should talk to Chris and let him know what happened."

Piper: "NO! Absolutely not! If he doesn't already remember, I don't want him to know what Wyatt did to him. It's bad enough as it is; I don't want to put him through any more pain."

Phoebe started to object but Piper silenced her with sharp words, "Phoebe, NO! He doesn't remember, and as long as I can help it—it's going to stay that way. Are we clear?"

Phoebe: In a clipped tone, "Crystal."

----------

Later that evening, Piper sat down to dinner with her sisters and Wyatt in his highchair. Everyone picked at their food in silence as a dismal atmosphere settled over the table. Piper stared absently at Chris's empty chair. Out loud to no one in particular, she spoke quitely, "He's not getting any better. In fact, he's getting worse. What am I gonna do? I can't go through this again—Not after Prue." Paige and Phoebe pushed their plate's aside and went to envelop Piper in a hug. Even baby Wyatt seemed to sense that he was needed, and orbed into her lap.

Chris' room....

As Piper walked past Chris' bedroom, she noticed him awake and staring at the ceiling. "Chris?" She bent down to feel his forehead, "You're still running a fever. How are you feeling?"

Chris: "Not so great. What's wrong with me? I still don't have my powers back yet, so I can tell you with absolute certainty that this is NOT the flu"

Piper sat down on his bed and leaned up against the wall. "I know. We've been working on ways to make you better." Smiling, "so you can get back out there and chase down some demons." Getting a smile out of him, she continued, "Have you ever been sick before?"

Chris shrugs, "I've had colds and things like that, but there was one time when I was eighteen that I was real sick." Seeing the question in her eyes, he elaborated, "Wyatt came home one day and I was passed out on the living room floor. It turned out that I has just gotten some sort of bug that had been going around." Laughing at the memory, "But he thought that one of his bodyguards had finally lost it and knocked some sense into me."

Piper: Interested, "What happened?"

Chris: "he went ballistic. When I came to—well let's just say that there were a whole new set of bodyguards in the house that night."

Piper: "You were living there? With Wyatt?"

Chris: "Yeah. I lived there up until the day I left to come back here."

Piper: "Ohhhh. I get it, "Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer?"

Chris: "Kind of. I know he didn't really trust me himself, but he also didn't trust a lot of his guards. They thought I couldn't be turned and wanted to kill me—but most of them were all too afraid of Wyatt to try anything."

Piper: "most..of..them?

Chris: "there were a few who tried. If I didn't kill them first, Wyatt certainly did."

Piper: "so, you weren't really afraid of him?"

Chris: "No, not for myself. No matter how mad I made him, he never did anything physically to hurt me. If I pissed him off, he would just make the people I cared about suffer. Eventually, I just stayed out of his way and stopped bringing any friends home." After he told her what happened with Danny and the others, she hugged him in silence for a while.

Piper: "I don't mean to pry or anything, but how did you meet Bianca under those circumstances."

Chris: "Well actually, Wyatt introduced us. You know she was a Phoenix right?"

Piper: "Yes."

Chris: "Well, she WORKED for him. She was his main assassin that hunted down witches who wouldn't join him. Wyatt wasn't supposed to be home for a few days, so I was sitting up in my room going through an old spell book to find something to set things right....." He begins to tell Piper the story of how he and Bianca came to be.

The future....

Chris was sitting in his room perusing the book when Bianca shimmered in. He jumped and tried to hide it, but he was too late to keep her from seeing.

Bianca: "What are you doing?"

Chris tried to play it off, "Nothing. What do you want?"

Bianca: deciding to ignore what she saw for now, "Wyatt told me to report my last assignment to you in his absence."

Chris: "Why? I don't have anything to do with his "business." Why are you bothering me?"

Bianca: Rolling her eyes, "Because Wyatt also told me to take you on my next assignment." She grabbed his arm and shimmered him to an alley.

Appearing behind a dumpster, she immediately put her finger to his lips to silence him.

Further down the alley, they heard a baby crying. He started to go to it, but she extended her arm to block his movement. An athame formed in her other hand while they crept silently toward the crying...

Huddled in the corner, a woman sat with her infant and a small child. When the woman looked up and saw them, she pushed her children behind her and stood up. "I will not join HIM."

Bianca: addressing the woman, "Carmen. I'm giving you ONE last chance to change your mind. It's not just about you this time. You're children will die right along with you."

Carmen: "I would rather have them die with me, then live like you and that evil."

Bianca: "Fine. Have it your way." She raised the athame and threw it towards Carmen.

Chris: "NO!" He flicked his wrist and diverted the knife. She shimmered over and retrieved it before turning back to them. Chris was now standing in front of Carmen and her children, "I won't let you do this..."

Bianca: "you would die for them? Complete strangers?"

Chris: "Maybe. Maybe not. But I WILL do what's right." He held his head up and stood ridged, prepared to fight to the death if necessary.

Bianca: "His guards were right to want to kill you. You'll never be turned." Bianca had long since tired of the senseless killing she performed for her latest "boss". Lowering the athame, Bianca thought about the young man in front her. 'He could be a useful ally.' Addressing the woman again, "give me your necklace."

Carmen: Suspiciously, "Why"

Bianca: "Because he'll want proof that you're dead."

Carmen removed the necklace she was wearing and handed it to Chris. He tossed it to Bianca, who placed it around her own neck.

Bianca: "Get out of here, Carmen. Permanently. If you come back here—No one will show you any mercy, least of all me."

Carmen nodded and gathered her children to disappear around the corner.

Chris smiled a knowing grin at Bianca. Annoyed with his attitude, she quickly brought the knife to his neck. "If you say ONE...WORD...of this to anyone, I will KILL you."

He didn't even flinch at her threat, "Why would I do that?" He carefully pushed the athame from his neck and lowered her hand to her side. Seeing that she didn't object, he extended his elbow to her in a gentlemanly gesture, "Shall we?"

His last thought before she took his arm and shimmered them out, 'I think I've just found myself an ally'...........

Piper smiled at the blissful expression on his face when talked about Bianca.

Chris: "After that day, we played that charade over and over again. And Wyatt was never the wiser. Eventually, we started spending more and more time together—even when he wasn't sending her on an "assignment". He thought that she was influencing me, but it was actually the other way around."

Piper: "So why did he let you have a relationship with her?"

Chris: "Because I never let him know. Somehow, he found out after I came back here—when he thought I betrayed him."

Piper: Getting at the real reason for her visit, "Do you think that after all of this, that he would still try to kill you."

Chris: unsure, "I don't think so?"

TBC..........

AN: Thank you all again for the reviews ;) fyi: Chapter 10 is coming very soon—I just have to make a few edits to it.

Coming Home—Chapter 10

Piper's room....

Leo orbs in with his hands up, "Whoa! I come in peace—don't blow me up."

Piper: still angry with him, "What do you want?"

Leo: looks down at the floor, "I just wanted to apologize for what happened the last time I was here. I shouldn't have said what I did, it was out of line."

Piper: "That's right, you shouldn't have and you WERE out of line."

Leo: "I am sorry, Piper. I know I have absolutely NO right to tell you how you should live your life—especially now that I'm not a part of it..."

Piper tries to interrupt, "Leo..."

Leo: Softly, "No, Piper. Let me finish. Please?" Nodding her head in acquiescence, he continued, "What you do—and who you do it with, is really none of my business. It's just so hard for me to see you with someone else—because I am still SO much in love with you that it hurts! I left to become a full time Elder because I thought it was for the best, but I didn't want to leave you and Wyatt. And I guess in way, I kind of thought that,...that what we shared in the ghostly plane meant that there was hope for us in the future."

Piper: Still not deciding on whether she should reveal Chris' secret, she did decide to ease his mind a bit. She took his hand and placed it across her belly, "Chris is not the father of my baby."

Leo: still disappointed and STILL not understanding, "Half fireman, huh?"

Piper let out a small laugh, "Are you sure you're an Elder? Because, I mean, aren't they supposed to come with some sort of—ENLIGHTENMENT?"

Understanding finally dawns in Leo's eyes. He's suddenly speechless. Piper laughs again, "Yes Leo. The baby I'm carrying is yours. It only takes one night."

Leo stares in awe at her stomach as he feels the baby kick. Grinning, he moves his head closer to her stomach and whispers quietly, "Hello Melinda, it's daddy." He looks back up at Piper with a confused expression when he sees her laughing heartily, "What?"

Piper: "I'm not so sure the baby will like being called 'Melinda'".

Leo: "To old fashioned? Ok. We'll think of something else." His gleeful expression becoming serious, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Piper: suddenly becoming serious as well, "Because it was hard enough for you to leave a wife and one child. Do you honestly think that you could leave a wife and TWO children? Especially, one you've never even met? If you felt that becoming an Elder was what you needed to do, than I wasn't going to make it any harder for you."

Leo: "Piper. You should have told me. And you're right, I wouldn't have left. I know I've made a lot of mistakes, but I want to be here for you and BOTH of our children. I'm not going to leave you alone..."

Piper: "but I'm not alone, Leo. I have Phoebe, and Paige, and Wyatt, and..." trailing off, her eyes water up. "And Chris—but not for much longer." Disheartened, "He's dying, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. He's getting worse and I have tried everything I can think of: The Power of Three, every spell in the Book, every potion in the Book, making up new ones for the Book. I even tried talking with Grahms. There's only one thing I can think of that might work, and I don't know if I can go through with it?"

Leo: "What's that?"

Piper turns to him sadly, "I have to send him back. Wyatt said he could heal him the future, But...."

Leo: "But what Piper? He's dying, and he's not going to get better until he gets home. This will be for the best..."

Piper: "But I'm afraid of what may happen to him when he gets there. I talked to him about his past with Wyatt. He said that he's never hurt him before—and I'd like to believe that he'd never hurt him again, but how can I be sure after what happened that night?"

Leo: defending Wyatt's actions, "Piper. You said it yourself; he's never hurt him before. There must have been a reason—a deeper meaning for what happened the night he came back." Seeing that she was still not convinced, he pressed on, "Ok, let me ask you this—did he look like he enjoyed it?"

Piper: Shaking her head, "No. Not really. He seemed angrier with me than he did with Chris. When I, "disowned" him, he actually looked hurt. And at first, he DID try to convince him to go back. But of course, Chris refused. Before Excalibur, Wyatt said he "didn't want to have to do it this way".

Leo: "There. You see, Piper. Maybe he's not as evil as Chris says he is. Chris' perceptions of "evil" could be a bit different from ours. I mean he WAS the one who wanted to vanquish a BABY simply because he was playing in Wyatt's playpen."

Piper now defending her other son's actions, "Well, technically the BABY was a DEMON. Besides, you didn't see Wyatt from the future. The callous way he threw Phoebe out of the window, he could have killed her! The coldness in eyes—was really frightening." Looking wistfully over to Wyatt playing with his blocks in the playpen, "I can't see how those beautiful, innocent eyes could become so cold". Turning back to Leo, "Maybe we can come up with a way to send him back for a short time, then bring him back after Wyatt heals him?"

Leo: Not quite relishing the idea of Chris coming back, but no longer feeling threatened by him, Leo agreed. "Ok. Maybe we can work something out. But first we have to get the spell from him. I have an idea, but it will require the Power of Three. Do you think you can convince Phoebe and Paige?"

Piper: "Yeah.

Shortly thereafter....

Piper, Paige, Phoebe, and Leo are all conversing upstairs in the attic.

Phoebe: still shaking her head, "I don't know about this guys. I think this is a really bad idea."

Piper: "Phoebe, what other options do we have? He's running out of time and we have tried everything under the sun. Besides, if we stick to the plan, we can get him back. Phoebe please...."

Phoebe: Reluctantly, "This has got to be your decision, but first think about the consequences..."

Paige: "Yeah. I mean, what if Wyatt decides that he doesn't need him anymore and kills him the moment he steps through the portal?"

Leo: sounding sure, "He won't." Seeing the questions forming in their eyes, he elaborated. "I spoke to him. He just want's to take him back where he belongs."

Piper: "What! You didn't tell us that."

Leo: Defensively crossing his arms in front of his chest, "Well, there seems to be a lot of that going around, isn't there."

Before they could be distracted with another argument, Phoebe spoke up sadly, "He's never gonna forgive us."

Piper: turning back to Phoebe, "When I know he's ok, I'll worry about that later. Right now, I'm more concerned with saving his life." Looking to everyone now, "Alright, so are we agreed on this?" Waiting for a nod from all before continuing, "then let's get to work on that spell"

Paige adds as an afterthought, "How will we get him to come?"

Leo: "I know a way."

TBC..............

Coming Home Chapter 11

Attic--Several hours later....

Piper is nervously pacing the floor biting her thumbnail. Paige tries to calm her by placing her hand gently on her shoulder. Still fidgeting, Paige pulls her over into the corner to talk.

Glancing around to make sure Leo was still on the other side of the room, Piper whisper's to her, "What kind of mother am I?"

Paige: Smiles at her, "The kind who will go through hell or high water to protect the life of her child. If it makes you feel any better, I can't think of another way out of this right now either. We'll get him back-- safely. And then we'll work on getting him to forgive us."

Phoebe calls to them, "Are we ready?" The room is eerily silent as everyone awaits Piper's nod.

Paige: "I'll go get him."

She returns moments later helping Chris into the chair by the desk. Seeing everyone fidgeting and avoiding eye contact made him nervous. He asked suspiciously, "What's going on?"

The sisters gathered around him and answered his question with a chant, "To the Power of Three; he will let us see; release his burden; to speak out loud; and chime to us—his rhyme of time."

Without thought or control, he recited the spell that exhisted only in his memory, "Hear these words, hear the rhyme, heed the hope within my mind, send me back to where I'll find, what I wish in place and time." Stunned at the words that just flowed from his mouth, he watched as Paige was now furiously writing them down. He jumped up from the chair. "What the hell did you just do?"

Piper: her eyes pooling, "I'm sorry Chris." She turns and signals to Leo to orb out.

Seconds later, two figures emerge in a swirl of blue lights.

----

Wyatt: addresses Piper, "Did you get it?"

Piper hands him the paper that Paige has just written on, "Yes." She avoids looking at Chris. Wyatt takes the paper and scribbles a few changes on it. He walks over to draw the Triquetra on the wall of the attic.

Leo: Genuinely concerned, "think of this as an "intervention", Chris. We're just trying to help."

Chris' eyes shift back and forth between everyone in the room, finally landing on Piper. "how could you do this? To me? WHY!" His eyes quickly bouncing to everyone else in the room, "All of you! How could you do this?" Glaring at Leo, "I would expect this from you!" Angrily darting back to Piper, "but not from you, of all people!"

Wyatt has just finished reciting the spell and the symbol on the wall glows brightly before opening the portal. He stalks back over to Chris and grabs him by the arm, "STOP whining and let's go."

All of the strength that drained from Chris in the past few days of his "illness" seemed to return in an instant. Shrugging out of Wyatt's grasp, he turned and threw a punch landing squarely on Wyatt's jaw—knocking him backwards.

Seeing that things were quickly getting out of hand, Leo crept up behind Chris and pinned his arms to his sides. Chris elbowed Leo in the ribs, watching with a sense of satisfaction when he dropped to the floor winded. Turning to look out for Wyatt, he saw Leo out of the corner of his eye mere seconds before he was tackled to the ground.

Phoebe and Paige couldn't stand by and watch the melee any longer and moved to intervene.

Wyatt saw them start to move and waived his arm in front of them. His blue force shield appeared in front of the sisters, cutting them off from the others.

Throwing another punch, Chris continued to fight the person pinning him to the floor, "Get off of me!"

Piper: "Leo! Stop, you're gonna hurt him", throwing her hands up, she channeled infant Chris's powers and threw him off.

Piper went over to Chris and tried to help him up. She hugged him close, even as he tried to push her away. She leaned in close to his ear and whispered—"It's only temporary. We'll get you back, I promise."

Wyatt walked back over to the portal before turning to them angrily, "Would you stop coddling him, Mother! He's not a child anymore!"

Piper fired back, "He's MY Child!...."

Chris: Looking at her in disbelief, "Am I? Because the mother I knew would NEVER have betrayed me like this. First he turned my fiancée; and now—my OWN family against me!"

Piper: Quietly so that Wyatt couldn't hear her, "Chris, Please—you have to listen to me..."

Chris: Disgustedly, "I don't want to hear anything you have to say."

Wyatt said calmly, "let him go. We're leaving, Christopher."

Leo stood up as his eyes darted between Piper and Chris during the whole conversation. His jaw dropped when he heard Piper refer to him as her child.

As if he felt eyes burning into the back of his head, Chris turned and glared at Leo.

Breath refusing to leave his body, Leo saw it. For the first time—he actually saw his own eyes staring back at him. 'O...h. He has my eyes—He has Piper's features, but he has MY EYES!'

Falling to his knees, "What have I done?"

Wyatt looked at Chris across the room before extending his hand in his direction. "Christopher—Come. Now."

Chris didn't understand why he felt a strong pulling in his mind. Nor did he understand why his legs moved of their own accord to stand next to Wyatt. 'I guess it makes sense. If my own family can betray me, then why can't my body.' He watched with disinterest as Wyatt grabbed his forearm and prepared himself for return.

Piper stretched out her arm, "Wyatt..."

Narrowing his eyes, Wyatt turned back to her, "He would already be dead if I wanted him that way. I said I would heal him and I will."

Chris looked back over his shoulder one last time. A lone tear rolled down his cheek as his legs unwillingly carried him into the future with Wyatt.

-----

Future....

Travelling through time seemed to wreak havoc on Chris' already weakened body. As he emerged from the portal wrapping his arms around himself, he fell to his knees, shaking uncontrollably. Barely focussing, he looked accusatorily at Wyatt who kneeled down next to him, "You did this!" Chris tried his best to lunge for him, but failed as another wave of blinding agony washed over him. He fell to the floor writhing in pain, trying desperately to pull much needed oxygen into his lungs. Chris' vision grew darker as he started to convulse violently.

He never felt Wyatt pull him into his lap as consciousness slowly ebbed from his body.

Watching his brother slip away, Wyatt looked around the room and shouted angrily, "WHERE'S SIZHEN?"

Immediately, a cloaked figure materialized in front of him and bowed. "Here, Master."

Wyatt: "DO IT NOW!"

As Wyatt fought to restrain him, Sizhen bent down and injected a reddish- colored liquid into Chris' neck. His body relaxed almost instantaneously before slipping into unconsciousness.

Wyatt laid him on the floor and stood up. Addressing his guard, "I'm going to my room. Wake me when it's time for his next dose." He turned to exit the room when he was called back.

Sizhen: "What should I do with him for now, Master?"

Wyatt: Looking over at Chris, "Take him to the lower level." Then he added with disdain, "Put him in with Her."

Sizhen merely bowed and waited for Wyatt to leave before taking action. Cursing under his breath, he bent down and picked Chris up in a fireman's carry before shimmering downstairs.

Though he could have shimmered directly into the cell, Sizhen instead decided to display his charge to all the resistance members he passed in the cells—as if to show them that their last hope had failed.

One by one, a host of formerly strong and powerful creatures left the cowering of the shadows and swarmed against the bars. With all eyes locking with Sizhen's in despair, his footsteps were all that could be heard echoing on the cold-hard concrete as he passed.

As Sizhen reached his destination, he shimmered through bars; eyes searching the shadows for Her. He wrinkled his nose at the putrid smell inside before he noticed a slight movement in the corner. "I've got a present for you. Complements of Master Wyatt." With that, he lifted Chris over his head and threw his limp form in her direction, not particularly caring where or how he landed. He waited for a moment to see how she would react before leaving. When she didn't move, he turned on his heels and shimmered out.

She crawled out of the shadows to see who had been placed with her. Tentatively, she reached out her hand to turn him over and get a look at his face. She gasped when she recognized it. "Chris?"

TBC.......

I love reviews. I feed off of them. Keep em' comin, Please!!!!

Coming Home-Chapter 12 AN: Thank you...Thank you...Thank you...The reviews, Oh! I'm just so ecstatic. And don't worry, more questions should be answered with this chapter---or is that more questions posed? Anyway, on with the story.

Past....

No sooner had the portal closed; the force shield had dropped and released Paige and Phoebe.

Leo was resting on his knees, tears streaming down his face. Overcome with grief, he was still staring at the wall where the portal had been while murmuring repeatedly, "what have I done."

At seeing his reaction, Piper walked over to Leo. She kneeled down and put her arms around him. She called his name gently to break him out of it, "Leo."

Phoebe and Paige walked over to them.

Phoebe: addressing Leo, "How long should we wait?" She waived her hand in front of his eyes. Getting no response, she threw her hands up in frustration and addressed Piper instead, "Will you get him to snap out of it! He knows more about this time travel thing and how long it'll take before we can go after Chris." At Piper's nod, "We're going to go over to Sheila's and get Wyatt. We'll be downstairs when you need us."

Paige turns to Phoebe as they walk out before shutting the door, "You were saying something about knee pads?"

Phoebe: "not now Paige...."

Piper now clearly frustrated with not being able to get his attention, "Leo, you're gonna have to have your breakdown standing up because I am VERY pregnant right now and CAN NOT be crawling around like this." She stood up and pulled his arm, forcing him to stand as well.

This seemed to break him out of his trance a bit. He turned to her with shoulder's sagging, "how could I have not seen it?"

She led him over to the bench to sit down before answering, "Leo, none of us saw it. If Phoebe hadn't had that premonition, WE probably still wouldn't know either."

Leo jumped up and paced the floor. "But I should have seen SOMETHING! How many times have I looked into his eyes---MY...EYES...PIPER---and been too angry with him to see what's been right in front of my face all along...."

Piper: "Leo..."

Still ranting, "and all of this time---he's been telling us the truth." Through clenched teeth, "And I sent him back with that conniving little bastard..."

Piper: "No arguments there. But we ALL sent him back, Leo. And we did it to cure him."

Leo: Sounding defeated, "That look in his eyes; No wonder he hates me. If I was this kind of father to him in the future, he has every right to. He has every right to hate me now. What am I gonna do?"

Piper: On her feet now and sounding every bit the determined leader, "I'll tell you what you're gonna do-----You're gonna STOP with the guilt trip; You're gonna HELP us get our son back; and then you're gonna WORK on fixing your relationship with him. Got it?"

Leo: "Yeah."

Piper: walks up to him and links her arm around his, "Now orb me downstairs. We've got work to do."

Future....

She shook him to wake him up, "Chris! You have to wake up before he comes down here! Chris..."

Moaning and beginning to come to, he mutters. "Leave me alone, I said I'd take out the trash later..."

She shook him harder this time, "CHRISTOPHER! WAKE UP." Frustrated, she decided to try another method, 'This always annoys him enough to wake up', "Chrissy..."

Opening his bleary eyes, he can't quite focus in on the features, but he can see the feminine figure and flowing hair. "Bianca?"

"No. But she IS here. I've seen her. It's me, Chris."

Now clearly focussing, his eyes widen in shock when he sees her. "Lynny?"

Nodding her head, "Yeah. Welcome home."

Chris sat up quickly and hugged her tightly. Kissing the top of her head, "I saw him kill you. I SAW you die!" She mumbled a reply into his chest. He released her and held her at arms length, "What?"

Lynny: smiling, "I said I can't breath."

Chris: grinning sheepishly, "Sorry." Hugging her again, "What happened?"

Lynny: "He healed me. Right after you orbed out. I don't remember much else, except that I woke up down here—and have been ever since"

Chris looked around for the first time since waking, "This must be the "lower level". I've never been down here before."

Lynny: "Well you're not gonna want to be down here now."

Before he could question her response, Wyatt orbs in and leans against the wall crossing his arms, "Isn't this a quaint little reunion."

Chris: Angrily, "What the hell do you want?"

Wyatt: Nonchalantly, "Nothing really. I just came to see how my two favorite people in the world were doing?"

Chris: Confidently, he replied "favorite huh? Is that why you healed her. You just couldn't bring yourself to kill your baby sister. Just like you couldn't kill me."

He pushes himself off the wall and walks over to Chris. Quitely, "Don't be so sure. Besides, Melinda's not my sister."

Chris arches his eyebrows and utters sarcastically, "did you happen to grow up in the same house that I did?"

Wyatt: Laughing, "Yessss. But apparently....I was the only one paying attention." Enjoying the confused expressions on both of their faces, he replied cryptically, "Piper Haliwell only bore two children. Two MALE children."

Chris shaking his head in disbelief, "No. That's impossible. Besides the fact that all THREE of us grew up together and called Piper "mom", I read the Corellian Prophesy. It talked about THREE children born of the middle charmed one. And that's...MOM. And that's...US."

Wyatt sighed intending to provoke him further, "This is why I told you to stay in school, Christopher. You don't read very well."

Chris started for Wyatt, but Lynny put her hand on his arm restraining him.

Grinning at the reaction from Chris, he held both of his hands out in front of him and closed his eyes. An old, fragile looking scroll appeared in his empty hands. He carefully unrolled it and scanned for the section he was looking for. Letting out a deep breath, he smiled at both of them and began to read aloud, "Ah, here it is---.....And from the middle childs, there shall spring forth a triad most powerful—Two blessed males, and one blessed female." He handed them the scroll and pointed to the section he had just read. Smiling, and seeing that they still didn't understand, he questioned them, "Did you think that they made "typo's" in ancient times? The scroll says "childs". Plural."

Melinda and Chris seem to come to the same conclusion simultaneously. They look to one another before answering Wyatt.

Chris: "Prudence, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige--...and from the middle childs. Piper and Phoebe. Phoebe is...."

Lynny finished his sentence, "My mother." She looks distraught at finding out the truth of her parentage. Chris tries to comfort her by putting his arm around her.

Wyatt: Still enjoying the moment, "You've never wondered why she couldn't orb with us?"

Chris: looking down at her, "You'll always be my sister."

A very satisfied look on his face, Wyatt address both of them, "Mom put a spell on both of you to wipe your memories after Aunt Phoebe died."

Chris: "Why would she let YOU keep your memories?"

Wyatt: Happily gloats, "Because if anything ever happened to mom and dad, SOMEONE had to be able to break her little heart---I mean, tell her the truth." He glares at her with disdain, "the little whelp couldn't handle not having her "mommy" around anymore, so OUR mother decided to take her place."

Chris: Catching Wyatt's attitude, he smirked, "Are you jealous of her?" Wyatt's eyes narrowed and his fists clenched, so he continued to goad him, "You are, aren't you? Are you jealous of me too? We both had her attention; her love; and ALL you had was LEO?"

Wyatt roared in anger and waived his arm to send Chris flying into the wall. He had the wind knocked out of him, but he still let out a half- cough, half-laugh to provoke him further.

Fire in his eyes, he advanced on Chris, but Lynny blocked his path with her palms to his chest. Towering over her, he looked down into her eyes silently pleading with him. He calmed down a bit before shoving her down to the floor. He stalked over to Chris and pulled him up by the front of his shirt. Slamming him against the wall, he withdrew the needle in his pocket and jabbed it into his neck, emptying it's contents. He tossed him into the corner before walking back over to Lynny attempting to stand.

She tried to back away, but he was too quick and grabbed her by the waist. He withdrew another syringe and emptied it's contents into her neck as well. Letting her fall to the floor, he orbed out.

Chris and Lynny both touched their necks at the injection sites. He asked her nervously, "What was that?"

Shaking her head, "I don't know..."

TBC........

AN: O...K, what do ya think? Reviews? Anybody? Keeps me going..... ;)


	3. Coming Home Chapters 13 to 18

Coming home: Chapter 13

AN: First off, thank you so very much to everyone who has reviewed. I've been trying to work answers & comments into the story. OK-hold on to your horses here. It's about to get weird, but it should answer one of the big questions. So here goes:

Past.....

Phoebe was sitting in the kitchen bouncing Wyatt on her lap when Leo and Piper orbed in. She takes Wyatt's hand and points to Leo, "Look, Wyatt. Look who's here—It's daddy." She starts to get up and hand him Wyatt.

Leo holds his hands up for her stop, "Not now Phoebe."

Confused, Phoebe asks, "What's wrong?"

Leo: Leaning against the kitchen counter, "I can't even look at him right now. He lied to me."

Phoebe: "Leo, he can't even talk."

Leo: "Not him---but HIM. Future him. Whatever, you know what I mean."

Paige: "Wow. You were sure singing a different tune earlier. This morning he could do no wrong. What changed?"

Leo: Sounding depressed, "He changed. Or maybe he didn't. The Wyatt I saw in the attic was a completely different person than the one I talked to the last few weeks. He was....distant. Cold even. A change like that doesn't happen overnight. Not unless he was hiding it from me. He told me that he was here to stop Chris from destroying the future. And I believed him."

Piper: "Leo. Stop it, OK? I can understand why you believed him. He IS your son, after all. But you have to let your issues with both of your children go right now. It's not going help us get Chris back. So you have to focus." Picking up baby Wyatt, she held him out to Leo, "He hasn't done anything yet. Chris told me that you played favorites with Wyatt in the future, but you can't do the same thing in reverse now with Chris. Don't make the same mistake twice."

Baby Wyatt cooed and reached out for Leo. Giving in, Leo smiled and took him from Piper's arms. He kissed him on the top of his head before speaking softly, "You know this doesn't let future you off the hook."

Paige: putting her hands on her hips, "So--are we ready to go kick some ass and get my nephew back"

Leo: "Not yet. We have to find a way to prevent the stone from controlling Chris, or he'll just turn around and go back to Wyatt."

Piper: "So what now?"

Leo: "We have to see a lady about a stone"

Leo and all three sisters are walking through an enchanted forest as they approach the former home of the "lady of the lake".

Paige: questioning Leo, "So, who is this Lady? I thought Piper was the new "lady of the lake?"

Leo: "Technically she is. The person we're going to talk to is like the overseer of everything that has to do with the lake. She's very old and transcends all time. She's neither good nor evil. But she should be able to tell us how to remove the stone's hold on Chris—if she'll speak to us"

Paige: "Why wouldn't she?"

Leo: "She's real funny about the time thing. Doesn't like to give to much away."

Paige: "Huh. So she's a lot like Chris."

Leo rolls his eyes and steps away from them. He calls out to a presence unseen, "I am an Elder seeking the Lady. I have a matter of great importance to discuss with her regarding the sword and the stone. I have brought with me the Charmed Ones in a show of good faith. Please, show yourself..."

Moments later, a blinding flash of light causes them to cover their eyes. When it clears, ripples of flowing white robes surround an ethereal beauty.

Phoebe stares in awe at the sheer radiance of the woman. "Wow. I hope I look that good when I'm her age."

Lady: Regally, she tipped her head slightly, "Why do you seek me?"

Piper immediately steps up and answers, "For my son. He is being controlled by the stone and it's owner. Can you tell us how it works and how we can stop it?"

Lady: "The Stone bends the will of the Sword." Appearing very disturbed, "Your son was linked to the Stone, yes?"

Leo: "Yes."

Lady: "This has only happened once before. Thousands of generations before Arthur..."

Paige: Confused, she interrupted her, "King Arthur wasn't the first?"

Lady: Haughtily, she replied "Of course not. The Sword is ancient. Fired millennia ago to balance the scales of good and evil."

Leo: "So, it's not good or evil?"

Lady: "On the contrary. It was created from good magic, and it will tilt the scales in the same direction when wielded by its Chosen Owner—The True Possessor ."

Piper: getting impatient, "That's all very nice, but it doesn't tell me how to break the stone's control over my son."

Lady: Ignoring Piper's outburst, she continued, "There was a time when the Keeper was able to fool the Sword as its owner by spilling the blood of the True Possessor into the Stone."

Phoebe: "So what happened?"

Lady: "The True Possessor's will was also bent."

Paige: Confused, "Wait—I don't get it. What's the difference between the Keeper and the Possessor?"

Lady: "The Keeper is not meant to wield the Sword. Only to give it to the Possessor. Has the one who wields the Sword been corrupted?"

Phoebe: Speaking up when no one else answered, "Yes. He has."

Lady: Sharply, "Then he is not the True Possessor of the Sword. He is the Keeper."

Piper: Throwing her hands up in frustration, "But how does that help us break control?"

Lady: Wearily addressing Piper, "You are the current Keeper—Are you not?"

Piper: "Yessss"

Lady: "Then to cease the control, you must give the Sword to it's rightful owner—The True Possessor."

Phoebe: Still not following, "And...just...who might that be?"

Lady: She smiles at the obvious answer, "The only one who's will can be bent." Ending further questions, she disappeared in a blinding flash of light.

Leo: Sounding unsure, "But that doesn't make sense. Wyatt was the one chosen to wield Excalibur—He was able to control it."

Piper: "Or so we thought? Mordaunt said that "he had to fulfill his destiny as the son of a Charmed One". We only assumed it was Wyatt because I wasn't pregnant then....."

Leo and the sister's seemed to all reach the same conclusion as they stared wide-eyed at Piper's bulging stomach. Piper rubbed her stomach and was the only one to say it aloud, "Chris...."

Paige: "Wow. This kind of gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "my brother's keeper."

Paige: "Cool. So Chris is the next King Arthur. I mean, if he can control the sword, he must be pretty powerful."

Phoebe: "Yeah, I wonder what other powers he has. We've only seen telekinesis."

Leo: "He's still pretty young. Maybe he hasn't gotten them all yet."

Piper: "He also wasn't trained to use them. He said that Wyatt was taught to develop his since we assumed that he was the Chosen One."

As they're walking back out of the forrest, Leo suddenly stops with an idea. "Wait—do you remember what happened when Piper got the sword?"

Phoebe: Laughing, "Yeah. She went all "Zena Warrior Princess" on us..." Piper just glared at her.

Leo: "That's because she wasn't meant to control the sword! It was too powerful for her!"

Tilting her head with her hands on her hips, "Is there a point to this?"

Leo: Sounding excited, "My point is that Chris came back because he thought that "Someone" had turned Wyatt. But maybe, it was "Something"."

Paige catches onto his train of thought, "Ohhhh. I get it. Something—as in Excalibur?"

Phoebe: "Well if that's true, then we know how to prevent him from turning—We simply don't give him the sword."

Piper stares at the ground absently with this statement. Knowing what she has been told about her future, she decides to play devils advocate. "But what if something prevents us from making that decision in the future?"

Paige: Curious as to Piper's sudden change in attitude, "Like what?"

Piper let out a deep breath. 'I guess I should come clean with them.' "Do you remember "the event" that Chris kept trying not to mention?"

Leo: Looking very worried, "Yeah. Did he say something?"

Piper: "He told my father what "the event" was." She let out another deep breath, but couldn't look them in the eye. "Apparently....sometime in the near future--I die. So if that can happen, then maybe something happens to all of us. And there would be no one left to prevent Wyatt from getting Excalibur."

Paige and Phoebe wrapped their arms around her for comfort.

Leo: Shaking his head in denial, "No. That's not going to happen now. I won't let it. You're not going to die, Piper. Maybe that's what went wrong the first time. You weren't supposed to die—you were supposed to pass on the sword to its rightful owner. But now we can fix it—with Chris' help."

Phoebe: Agreeing with him, "He's right, Honey. We'll just have to find out what Chris knows and convince him to talk to us. I know it'll be hard, but we can work on him. We just have to get him back first."

TBC........

AN: There. Don't you feel better now knowing what the purpose of the stone was? :) Chris & Lynny are back in the next chapter, which is mostly written, but yet to be edited. Soon though :) Thank you soooooo much for the reviews. You're wonderfull!!!!

Coming home: Chapter 14

Chris and Lynny sat huddled in the corner of the cell.

Lynny: "I can't believe that Piper's not my mom. After all this time..."

Chris: "Hey, it doesn't matter. I told you. I'll always think of you as my little sister. It doesn't matter to me who gave birth to you."

Lynny: "No wonder Wyatt hates me. I took his mother from him and she wasn't even mine to take."

Chris: "Piper never felt that way. You know how much she loved you. Even Leo doted on his "little angel". And Wyatt—you always could calm him down. And you could only have that effect on him if he cared about you."

Lynny: Letting out a sarcastic laugh, "Well I didn't do so well today, did I?"

Chris: Laughing, "Of course you did. I'm sure he wanted to pulverize me before you stepped in front of him."

Lynny: Sighing, "Why do you always have to do that?"

Chris: Replying innocently, "Do what?"

Lynny: "You know what—provoke him like that."

Chris: Shrugging nonchalantly, "It's a guy thing."

Lynny: Not satisfied with his answer, "Chris, I'm serious."

Drawing his legs up to rest his chin on his knees, he sat for a few minutes, silently debating on whether or not to reveal the true motives for his behavior. His decision made when she prodded him again. "I guess because if he focuses on me, he'll leave everyone else I care about alone."

Lynny: understanding, but weary, "You have to stop doing that. Eventually, he's gonna kill you one of these times when he looses it. It's not the same as it used to be with him. He would have never hurt you before you went back. You must have really pissed him off this time."

Chris: "Yeah, well he'll have to get in line."

Lynny: Arches her eyebrows, clearly not understanding the reference. "What do you mean?"

Chris: Angrily retorts, "How do you think I ended up back here? They helped him. After everything I told them about Wyatt turning, they still chose HIM over ME." Trying to appear indifferent, he went on, "I knew Leo was still mad..."

Lynny: "Why would he be mad at you?"

Producing a sly grin, "Uh, something about a couch." The grin quickly fading to one of defeat, "Forget it. It doesn't matter. None of it matters anymore."

Lynny: "Chris, you can't give up now!"

Chris: with a look of disbelief, "Why not, Lynny? They gave up on me. What's left worth saving?"

Lynny: "Our future."

Chris: he snorted, "Yeah right."

Lynny rose to her feet and grabbed Chris' arm to pull him up with her. Dragging him over to the bars, she swept her arm toward the cells opposite theirs. "Their future, Chris."

As far as his eyes could see in both directions, all of the cells where filled to capacity with haggard and defeated looking resistance members. Most of them with whom he had stood side by side with in defiance.

Lynny: "You can't let this go on. You're the only one powerful enough to stop him."

Chris: Frustrated, "I don't have ANY powers right now. He stripped them. I don't know how, but he did. So just HOW am I supposed to do anything right now from here?"

Lynny: "You're just going to have to get him to trust you. Make him think that you can be turned. Come on, you and Bianca did it before. You can do it again."

Chris: Eyes searching hers, "Again...How?"

Lynny's shoulder's sag at his question. Ready to admit defeat at the lack of an answer, she is suddenly struck with an idea. 'I hate to do this to him, but if it'll get his butt in gear...' She sneered, "Does it make you angry that they believed Wyatt over you?"

Taken aback by her sudden callousness, he replied angrily and backed away from her, "I told you it doesn't matter."

Lynny: advancing on him, "Does it burn you up inside that our own family turned on you?" Glancing at his fists clenching and eyes narrowing, her heart excitedly skipped a beat. "Does it...piss...you...off—that Piper. Your own MOTHER turned her back on you?"

Chris: Through clenched teeth, "YES!"

Lynny: Smiling, "Good! Use that. He knows you Chris. He knows how that would make you feel. Tell him that there's nothing back there good enough to save. If he took your powers away---If he thinks you're on his side, he'll gladly give them back. And then you can work on getting back to fix things."

He nods appreciatively at the idea. Chris eyes widen at the realization of how she had so expertly manipulated him. He smiles slyly at her, "You know that evil gene seems to run in the family."

Lynny smiles back at him innocently.

TBC.........

AN: So, what do you think?

Coming Home Chapter 15

Chris: Guiding her back over to the corner to sit down, "So what do we do now? He won't be back for a while."

Lynny: "I guess now we get some rest. You have to be ready when he comes back." Cautioning him, "but don't give in too easily or he'll suspect something."

Chris: Settling back against the wall, he ruffles her hair, "I missed you, Lynny."

Lynny: playfully punches him on the arm, "Stop calling me that!"

Chris: Smiling, "What? "Lynny?" It's your name."

Lynny: Looking rather indignant, she rolls her eyes, "It's childish, and I'm not a child anymore." She emphasizes her next sentence, "My name is "Lynn", or "Melinda" even. You don't like it when I call you "Chrissy", do you?"

Chris: With a cheshire grin, "that's because Chrissy is a girls name. And so is Lynny, but you ARE a girl." She punches him repeatedly, only harder this time until he relents. Holding his hands up in defense, "Ok, Ok. I won't call you Lynny anymore. Are you happy now--Kid?"

Both frustrated and elated with his teasing at the same time, Lynny was just glad to finally have her brother back home. However, not so glad as to prevent her from getting satisfaction. She pinched her thumb and index finger around his bicep—and twisted.

Chris: Still laughing, but finally playfully surrendering, "Alright—I give. Lynn it is."

Lynn: Looking very smug, "I learned that one from mom a long time ago. She said I would have to learn how to teach my big brothers some manners."

Chris: Smiling with a far off look on his face, "I think I remember that day. Wasn't that when Wyatt kept cheating you in the race to the attic?"

Lynn: Smiling back, "Yeah...."

They begin to talk and reminisce about that day.

Halliwell Manor--Future....

It was a chilly, rainy July afternoon outside of the Charmed Ones Manor. Rather unusual for San Francisco at this time of year. So unusual in fact, that the youngest of the three Halliwell children had yet to experience such an event. Lynny, a usually spirited six-year-old, stood crestfallen with her face pressed against the window.

Lynny: Turning to Piper, "mom? How come I can't go out in'play? Can't you fix it?"

Piper: Bending down and taking her little hands in her own, "No Sweetie. The rain will probably be gone by tomorrow, and then you can go out and play."

Lynny: not quite understanding, she pouted, "but I wanna play outside now. Daddy just put my swing up, and I wanna try it out..."

Piper: "Sweetheart, you're going to have to play inside for today." Looking around, she saw Chris in the observatory talking on the phone to his new "girlfriend" from school. She frowned, 'Thirteen years old, and already with the girls...That boy's gonna grey my hair yet!'. She watched him relax into the chair, absently twisting the phone cord around his fingers. When he put his feet up on the table, she scolded him loudly, "Chris, get your feet off of my furniture. You don't live in a barn!" Satisfied when he jumped at being startled, she moved on.

Piper looked around for Wyatt. 'Maybe he can keep her busy for a while'. She took Lynny's hand and led her to the kitchen where she had last seen her oldest heading. Walking into the kitchen, she saw that he was riffling through her refrigerator. 'That boy is going to eat me out of house and home.' She yelled, "Wyatt! Get out of there. You're gonna spoil your dinner—which, by the way, will be ready in a hour."

Wyatt: mumbling with food in his mouth, "Sorry mom. You know bad weather makes me hungry."

Piper: Grumpily, "Well you're not just gonna sit around and eat all day." She added sweetly, "Why don't you take your sister upstairs and play until dinner's ready?"

Wyatt: dragging out her name, "M...o....mm. I'm fifteen. Why should I have to go and play with the little ankle-biter? Can't Chris do it?"

Piper: hands on her hips, "Because I asked YOU. Besides, Chris is on the phone."

Wyatt yelled out, "Chris, Mom said to get off the phone!"

Piper: Exasperated, "I said no such thing. Now take your sister upstairs and get out of my kitchen." She lightly smacked him on the back of his head, "And don't call your sister an ankle-biter". Turning around to end the discussion and finish dinner, she smiled to herself as they turned to leave.

Grumbling outloud as he reluctantly took her had, "Come on ank...Lynny", quickly changing what he was going to say at his mother's hardened glare.

In the other room, Chris had hung up the phone when he heard what he thought was Wyatt relaying his mother's message. He sat down at the dining room table watching Wyatt playing with Lynny.

Wyatt: "Hey Lynny. I betcha I'm faster than you..."

Lynny: Mimicking Piper, she put her hands on her hips, "You are not. I can beat you anytime."

Wyatt: "Ok. I'll race ya to the attic. I'll even give you a headstart."

Lynny: "Ok." She ran half way up the landing before turning to taunt Wyatt; still standing at the bottom, "you're gonna looooose."

Wyatt smiled at her and waited until he heard her start to open the door before orbing into the attic.

Chris watched Wyatt "win" several more times before he decided to intervene. When he came down again, "Wyatt. She's six. And she can't orb. So stop cheating."

Wyatt: "I'm not cheating. She'll figure it out eventually. Besides, mom wanted me to keep her occupied until dinner. And she's occupied. Tired. But occupied."

Chris: Rolling his eyes, "At least walk half way up to give her a chance..."

Wyatt: Relenting, "All right." He had only gotten a few steps up the landing before he turned to Lynny, "Come on. I'll even walk this time and still beat you..." He turned to continue up the stairs without waiting for an answer.

Lynny is standing at the bottom near tears when Chris silently tiptoed behind her. He shushes her with his finger to his mouth before resting his hand on her shoulder.

Wyatt is still calling Lynny as he backs into the attic door, expecting to find her running up the stairs behind him. When he turned around, he found Chris and Lynny standing there giggling at him inside. Crossing his arms, but not really annoyed, he accused, "Chris, you cheated...."

Chris: With a challenging look, "No, but I evened the score...."

Wyatt playfully shoved Chris by his shoulder. Soon, both boys were on the floor tussling and laughing. Not wanting to be left out, Lynny happily jumped into the fray.

Downstairs, Piper is in the kitchen chopping vegetables when she hears thumping and muted laughter upstairs. Shaking her head, 'I told him to play with her, not tear up my house'.

Chris and Wyatt were still rolling around on the floor, with Lynny on Wyatt's back just as Leo orbed into the attic with an anxious look.

Leo: Immediately picking Lynny up and scolding the boys, "What's going on here? You two know better than this. She could have been hurt..."

Chris and Wyatt stood up and both looked sufficiently reprimanded before chorussing, "Sorry Dad."

Sighing, he turned his attention back to Lynny. Kissing her forehead, "How's my little angel?" She giggled a response and he put her down.

Turning back to the boys, he started to ask a question when Wyatt interrupted him enthusiastically, "Are we going up there to train today, dad?"

Leo: Looking disturbed about something, "Not today, Wy. I have to talk to your mother about something." Turning to Chris, "How have you been, Chrissy?"

Chris rolled his eyes at his father, "My name is Chris. And I'm fine, thank you." He left for his without waiting for another word from Leo.

Leo: Sighing again, he turned back to Wyatt, "Will you keep an eye on Lynny and Chris for a while? I have to show Piper something important."

Wyatt: "Sure, dad." With that, he orbed Lynny into her room while Leo orbed downstairs to see Piper.

Piper: Astonished to see him, "What are you doing here? I mean, weren't you just here yesterday putting Lynny's swing together? Or are you here for Wyatt's training again?"

Leo: Annoyed, "Why do you sound surprised, I live here Piper. And, no. I'm not here for Wyatt."

Piper: "Yeah, but two days in a row? Even if you do live here, you're still never here that often."

Leo: "Look, I need to show you something."

Piper: "Can't it wait until after dinner?"

Leo: Shaking his head furiously, "No." Looking around to make sure they're alone, he whispers to her, "I found a prophesy about the kids. All three of them. But I can't take it out of its realm, so you'll have to come with me. I managed to get a glimpse of it, but only a Charmed One is supposed to be able to read the full text."

Piper throws her dishtowel down and sighs. "Alright. What's this prophecy called, where is it now, and when do we leave?"

Leo: "It's called the Corellian Prophesy. It's in the Lirpa realm, and we have to leave now. The realm doesn't align with earth that often, so there's a very small window to access it."

Piper: "Let me just get Wyatt to look after Lynny and Chris."

Leo: "Already done. Let's go." He orbs her out in search of the Prophesy before she could utter another word.

Returning to the Manor hours later, the three Halliwell children are watching television having already eaten dinner. Piper and Leo both look defeated, but quickly change to upbeat expressions when they pass the children.

Piper joins Lynny on the couch while she listens to the child babbling about her afternoon playing with Wyatt and Chris. Piper smiles at her and demonstrates with her fingers, "You know—when your big brothers are misbehaving, I give you permission to do this to keep them in line..."

Future--Cell............

Lynn and Chris are laughing about that rainy day.

Chris: "I'm surprised you still remember that. You were so little."

Lynn: "I remember a lot from back then." Eyes watering, "It wasn't long afterwards that Mom...."

Chris: Seeing her trying to fight back tears, he wraps his arms around her while she rests her head on his shoulders. Speaking softly, "I know. Get some sleep. He'll be back soon."

TBC.......

AN: I know this one was a little slow, but I had to add that part about the kids for background. The next chap. will probably deal with the Chris "turning".

AN: Thank you for all of the reviews so far. I'm sorry that these are coming a bit further in between, but I'm not on vacation anymore. So, on with it...

Coming Home Chapter 16

Future.....

Several hours later, Wyatt orbed into the cell prepared for another confrontation. Chris and Lynn were sleeping peacefully against each other in the corner. He silently regarded the scene before him for a bit before deciding to wake them. Kicking at Chris' foot, he enjoyed the reaction when he startled him awake. "Are you ready for your next dose?"

Chris stands up to face him, waking Lynn in the process. "You're not coming near me with that crap. And if you touch her again, I'll....."

Wyatt jokingly interrupts him, "You'll what? Glare at me to death? We both know that you don't have any powers."

Chris: Defiantly crosses his arms, "I don't care. You're not getting near us again with that poison. You think I haven't figured out that you were the reason I was sick back there?"

Wyatt sneered, "You don't know half as much as you think you know. Perhaps.....you were preoccupied with trembling on the floor like an INFANT when I brought you home?" Receiving only a glare in response, he questioned further, "Do you feel sick, Christopher?" His refusal to answer only seemed to anger him further. Fists clenching, he took another step closer to them. "ANSWER ME!"

Chris: Pursing his lips, he reluctantly answered quietly, "No."

Wyatt: Holding up the syringe, "Then what makes you think that I didn't save your pathetic little life, with this...poison?"

Chris spat back, "Because I know you. And I know how your twisted little mind works."

Wyatt: "Just a few hours ago, you were so sure that I couldn't kill you. Either of you. So why are you afraid of it now if you're still so sure?"

Chris: He squared his shoulders and stood even more rigid than he ever thought possible, "I'm not afraid of it. And I'm not afraid of you."

Wyatt: Challenging him, "Then take it. Stop fighting me. Make this easier on yourself, Chris." Pointedly looking to Lynn, "Make this easier on her. Be a good a example for the little one, hmm?"

Trying not to relinquish his full attention from his brother, he quickly glanced to Lynn in doubt. He saw her silently urging him to remember their earlier plan. His mind frantically conjured potential hazards of the contents of the syringe--causing his heart to beat faster and his breath to grow ragged.

Feeling her small fingers wrap around his arm, he immediately felt a calmness wash over him like a tidal wave.

Glancing back to Lynn, he understood the determination in her eyes. The slight nod of her head cinched his decision. 'I hope I don't regret this later.' He pushed off the wall and stepped closer to Wyatt. Exhaling deeply, he closed his eyes; refusing to witness the satisfied look on Wyatt's face as he conceded.

He slowly tilted his head to the side, wincing as he expected to feel a painful jab of the needle into his exposed flesh. Instead, he felt only a tiny pinprick as the warm liquid rushed through his veins. Surprised at the sudden gentleness his brother bestowed on him, he quickly opened his eyes and caught a brief glimpse of the brother he used to call friend before Wyatt once again hardened his expression.

A flurry of mixed thoughts and emotions coursed through him regarding his brother. Doubt. Confusion. Love. Hate. Worry? He didn't know what to think.

Taking Chris' lead, Lynn stepped over to Wyatt and gathered her long brown locks to one side, offering herself as Chris had just done. Wyatt placed his hand on her neck but did nothing else. Staring at him curiously, she listened as he spoke almost quietly before orbing out, "It's not time for you yet." She padded over to Chris and wrapped her arms around him. He stared down at her worriedly, "what if that stuff makes me to change like he did? What if that's what turned him in the first place?"

Lynn tried to allay his fears and take his mind off the possibilities.

"Well whatever it is, he gave it to me too earlier. If you change, then I change right along with you. Then the three of us will just be one big happy--evil--family." She grinned when she managed to get a smile out of him for her troubles.

Future....

While Chris and Lynn remembered that rainy July afternoon, they couldn't have possibly remembered the full events of that day. The events that follow are only known to a few people.....

Piper sat restlessly on the couch while Lynn slept in her lap. Chris and Wyatt were still sitting on either side of her legs on the floor, trying unsuccessfully to stay awake. Piper saw their heads nodding back and forth, so she decided to put a stop to it. She tapped the one closest to her, "Chris? Go to bed. The movie has been over for hours." He tried to blink the tiredness away, but only managed to drift off again.

She tried Wyatt, hoping to have better luck. "Wyatt? Go upstairs and get in the bed." He seemed more coherent and nodded to her. Before he orbed, she smiled and called out to him, "Take your brother with you. He's too out of it right now to orb himself into bed. He might sleepwalk into another dimension again."

Wyatt chuckled at the reference to the time when Chris had them all in a panic a few years ago; after tiredly trying to orb himself to bed, he ended up in a different realm. "Yeah, we don't want that again. It took hours to find him last time. Do you want me to take Lynny too?"

Shaking her head, "No, that's alright, Wy. I'll take her upstairs in little bit when I go." When he started to reach for Chris, she stopped him. here, you." Though Piper loved her oldest dearly, she still enjoying making him squirm when she always reached for him to kiss him goodnight.

She snickered at the mock look of horror he now modeled while he reached for his brother and orbed them both upstairs. Reaching out, she tenderly stroked Lynny's hair from her forehead before carefully sliding out from under her. She picked up the sleeping child and carried her upstairs to her room to tuck her in. After leaving, she looked in on Chris and Wyatt sharing a room. When they didn't stir, she quietly shut the door and tiptoed back to her room. 'Finally, they're all asleep.'

Practically whispering his name, she called out "Leo?"

He orbed in seconds later, having already been prepared to come back when she called for quite possibly a long conversation. Resignedly, he spoke almost timidly, "Hi. I guess we need to talk about this..."

Piper starts to pace the floor. "You're damned right we need to talk about this. It doesn't make sense, Leo. This Corin Prophesy..."

Interrupting her, Leo corrected, "Corellian Prophesy." When she glared at him for the interruption, he looked rather apologetic. "Sorry. It's not important. Go on."

Piper: "AS I was saying...Melinda Warren only prophesized the coming of three female witches, The Charmed Ones. That would be us, Leo--me and my sisters. How could there be another generation?"

Leo looks just as frustrated; "You know that the Book of Shadows only included one point of view--who ever happened to be writing the entry at the time. Melinda wasn't exactly fond of the male species--especially since they were the ones burning her at the stake. Maybe she didn't want to let the world know about a second generation that included male witches."

Piper stopped her frantic pacing and gestured wildly with her hands, "But what about everything else we've seen? Nothing--not one single prophesy or scroll ever indicated that something like this would happen."

Leo: Shaking his head, "Well, you remember what happened with Excalibur, right? We never did find the original scroll that Mordaunt based his information from. So we really don't know what their destinies were, except that Wyatt is supposed to be very powerful as the next King Arthur. Besides, that's the only explanation for why he was able to vanquish Mordaunt with Excalibur before he could even walk."

Piper: resuming her frantic pacing, "There has to be a way to stop this. I don't want this for them."

Leo: "It's their destiny. You can't stop it; just like you couldn't stop yours and your sisters even though your grandmother tried binding your powers."

Piper: She spun on him angrily whispering, "But she was right to try, wasn't she? Look where our so-called "destinies" got all of my sisters....All of them died young. Prue, Phoebe, Paige. I won't let this happen to my children--to Phoebe's child. I promised her before she died that I would do whatever I could to keep her safe, away from this life. Why do you think I haven't shown her how to use her powers yet? I don't care what their destiny is supposed to be. We live a somewhat normal life now, and I want it to stay that way."

Growing weary of her pacing, he grabbed her upper arms before she could begin again, "Piper, you're going to have to accept it. This is why I have always taken Wyatt up there to train. Even if things are quiet now, someday soon, they won't be. We have to be ready. We have to prepare them for the fight their going to have to face. Whether we like it or not, the three of them are going to be the most powerful force the world has ever known, and it will be up to us to make sure that they are on the right side when it happens."

Piper: "of course they'll be on the right side, they're our children."

Leo: Thinking of the loophole, "not necessarily. You remember the mythological window when all witches are susceptible to turning. We almost lost Paige because of it when you first found her. Right now, they're too young to make that conscious choice."

Piper: "Well, I think Wyatt is old enough now to make that choice. Maybe even Chris too, but definitely not Melinda."

Leo: Throwing his hands up in frustration, "And that's why we have to prepare them, Piper. You read the scroll. Ultimately, their bond will be even stronger than you and your sisters--so much so that even their powers will rely on each other. If one of them chooses the wrong side, then the others would likely follow. Together they would be unstoppable, even for you."

Piper: Dispirited, "Well then we'll just have to make sure that none of that happens. But there are just so many possibilities of something going wrong." Wriggling out of Leo's grasp, she hurriedly began to pace again. "Damn it. We need to see more of the scroll."

Leo sadly shakes his head, "I'm sorry, Piper. I didn't realize that the scroll would only reveal the full text to different Charmed Ones. You would still need the Power of Three to read the rest." Seeing her disappointed look, he thought of another idea, "Maybe we could get the kids to read it. They may not be the original Charmed Ones, but they will be a new version of them."

Piper: "No. The boys are old enough to figure out who it would refer to. I don't want that to affect who they are."

Leo: Sounding a bit excited, "Maybe we could get them to read it, then use the memory spell on them. They would forget they ever heard it."

Piper: Hesitantly, "I don't know. I just don't want to expose them to it. Could the Elders send one of us back in time to get Phoebe and Paige to read it? Like that time they sent us to the future?"

Leo: shaking his head doubtfully, "With them it's not really a question of whether or not they can do it, but more of whether or not they should and would."

Piper: Sitting down on the bed, "Then I'll just have to come up with a backup plan of my own. A time spell maybe, like the one Grahms did. Phoebe and Paige were always better at writing them than me...." She trailed off as tears brimmed in her eyes at the thought of her sisters. "They never come when I summon them..." Piper tried valiantly not to cry, but couldn't control the sobs that wracked her body when Leo knelt before her and wrapped his arms around her, finally allowing her emotions to flow freely.

Her forehead pressed against his, she murmured through her tears, "I just miss them so much...."

Feeling the loss of her sisters—his family, just as strongly, he allowed silent tears to escape from his eyes. He felt the need to comfort and be comforted at the same time. Rising from the floor, he clambered onto the bed behind her and lay down. Pulling her into his arms, he rocked her gently as they both wept for the sisters lost to them.

So absorbed where they in their shared grief and consolation, neither noticed the sandy-haired teen observing them from the doorway.

TBC............

Coming Home Chapter 17

Future.....

Chris is staring at the floor in deep thought. He doesn't hear Lynn calling his name repeatedly.

Tugging at his shirt, she tried again, "Chris? Come on. You have to stop thinking about it and pull it together." Disappointed at his lack of response, she resorted to her old childhood method of getting his attention. She put her ring finger and thumb together and plucked him on the back of his ear.

Chris quickly came out of his trance and ducked his head. "Ow. What did you do that for?"

Lynn: Looking only halfway apologetic, "Sorry, but you weren't listening. Look--you're just going to make yourself crazy so you might as well stop thinking about it."

Chris: "I can't. I CANNOT end up like that. Promise me that if that happens--you'll find a way to stop me. No matter what it takes...."

Lynn: Growing angry with his implied suggestion, she yelled at him rhetorically, "What would you have me do Christopher? Kill you?"

Chris: Looking deadly serious, he answered calmly, "If necessary."

Lynn: Shaking her head furiously, "Chris--that's not going to happen. Not if you go back and fix all of this."

His eyes desperately pleading with her, "Lynny, Please. Just promise me, OK? Promise me that you'll do whatever you have to--even if it means that you have to kill me."

Lynn: Her voice wavering, "No, I can't. You can't ask me to do that. HOW can you ask me to do that?"

Chris: Taking her hands, "Lynny, Please. You know I couldn't live with myself. You're the only one I trust to do it."

Her eyes pooling, Lynn looked down at the floor, as she was unable to look him in the eye. 'I just can't do it'. Her inner voice conflicting with her spoken words, she muttered softly, "Ok." She felt guilty for telling him what he so desperately wanted to hear, all the while knowing that for the first time in their lives, she had lied to him.

She pulled her hands away from his abruptly and retreated to the shadows of the cell, clearly wanting to be alone.

Chris understood her message warning him away from her and remained in his corner. As he watched her draw her knees up to her chest, he felt as if a tremendous weight had lifted from his shoulders by getting her to agree. But at the same time, he also felt guilty for causing her any pain or distress at the thought of taking the life of the only real family she had left. Not wanting to leave things between them as they were, he spoke quietly to her, "I'm sorry, Lynny."

Still not looking up, she changed the subject by correcting him. "Just stick to the plan. And my NAME is Lynn, Chrissy."

He smiled at the nickname she had given him when she was a child, realizing that it's use signified at least partial forgiveness. Sitting down where he stood, he began mentally rehearsing what he was going to say to Wyatt when the time came.

Several hours later, Lynn and Chris still sat on opposite sides of the cell. Breaking the silence, Lynn asked him, "So what happened?"

Chris: Looking confused, "What do you mean?"

Lynn: "How did you end up back here? You said they helped him, right?"

Chris: Pursing his lips, he turned his head away from her when he replied, "I really don't want to talk about it."

Lynn: Sarcastically, "Well I think that anger towards them will definitely be believable when Wyatt asks." Rolling her eyes, "Forget about that for right now. Just tell me a little about Aunt Phoebe. I mean mom. Boy, what do I call her now?"

Chris: His eyes narrowing, he muttered almost inaudibly, "I'll tell you what you can call her..."

Lynn: scolding him, "Chris. Would you save all of this repressed anger for Wyatt? He needs it more than I do." Despondently, "This may be our last chance to talk for a while, and I just want you to tell me a little about her. I mean, she's my mother, and I don't even really remember her."

Chris heard the sadness in her voice and felt ashamed at denying her that small bit of comfort. Moving over to the other side of the cell, he put his arm around her shoulders. "She was really cool at first. She was pretty much the first to accept me when I got there."

Lynn: "Am I anything like her?"

Chris: scrutinizing her and comparing her to his memory of his aunt, "Well. You both have dark hair, but she cut hers all off. Big brown eyes. A lot of tattoos."

Lynn rolled up her pant leg excitedly and showed him her ankle, "Ooh. Just like me. See, the family crest."

Chris: pointing to her tattoo with his mouth hanging open, "When the hell did you get that? And who told you that you could get a tattoo?"

Lynn rolled her eyes, "I am an adult, Mother. Go on, go on."

Chris: Laughing it off, "Well, you're also both really short." His last comment earning him a punch on the arm. "She's kind of flighty--but in a good way, and a spur of the moment type of person. That's a lot like you. And she has a big heart. Just like you. Even when she wasn't an empath, she still cared tremendously for everyone around her." He trailed off, "which is why I don't understand why she went along with sending me back."

Lynn: Nonchalantly, "I do. She's a total bitch." She laughed at his look of incredulity, "Chris, now is not the time to second guess why they did what they did. You need that anger to make it believable. If he's going to trust you, he has to FEEL that anger that you're feeling. Don't question why. Just accept what they did--and hate them for it. When you get your powers back, then you can worry about analyzing their actions. I'm sure that there are probably some really good shrinks back in their time to help you get over it."

Chris: grinning, "You definitely got your brassy attitude from Aunt Paige."

Lynn: Sounding hopeful, "and the determination to save her family from Piper."

Chris: A hint of doubt in his voice, he agreed with her, "yeah."

Interrupting any further discussions, Wyatt's head demonic bodyguard shimmered into the cell. Sizhen looked at the two of them with barely controlled hatred. Disgustedly, he addressed Chris, "Master Wyatt wishes to see you. You are to come with me now."

'Here we go.' Taking a deep breath, Chris stood up and rested his hand on Lynn's shoulder. She touched her hand to his, silently saying goodbye.

Chris' hand lingered far too long for Sizhen's taste, so he grabbed him by his collar and pulled him away.

Chris was prepared to be shimmered to Wyatt, but was stunned to find Sizhen wave his hand over the bars and create a doorway. Stepping out into the corridor, he understood the purpose of walking through. Sizhen wanted to break him. He wanted to belittle him and make him ashamed; and show everyone his complete and absolute failure. 'Well it worked.' He took one last look at Lynn and watched his feet as he began the long walk through the dimly lit hallway.

TBC............

An: Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews. I've been trying to incorporate your questions and answers into the chapters, so your reviews are very helpful. This chapter was actually part of chapter 16, but I was working from two different computers and it got separated by accident. Also, chapter 18 is mostly written with Chris off to see the wizard ;) I'll post as soon as I can finish my edits.

Thanks, shjohnso

Coming Home Chapter 18

Future.......

Once they had passed the corridor, Sizhen no longer felt the need to walk. He grabbed a despondent Chris and shimmered away.

Wyatt is sitting at a large banquet table, enjoying a lavish dinner when Chris and Sizhen arrive. He enjoyed the fact that Chris was eyeing his food so openly. "Don't drool, Christopher. It isn't very becoming." Licking his fingers slowly, he decided to taunt him further, "This is absolutely exquisite." Knowing the answer, but mocking him anyway, "When was the last time that you ate, by the way?"

His stomach growling, Chris knew that he was being taunted, but was unable to answer in any other fashion. "I guess it's been a while. But since you were the cause of my being sick and not being able to eat, I assume you already know that."

Wyatt waived his arm and dismissed Sizhen as he bowed and exited. He motioned towards a chair at the other end of the table, "Have a seat, Christopher." Smiling devilishly, "I can hear your stomach begging for food all the way over here. Your body betrays you."

As Chris took his seat, he rolled his eyes at Wyatt. "Yeah, well then it wouldn't be the first time, would it?"

Wyatt catching his reference to their exit from the attic, he decided to play a little game with him. He commanded Chris, "Come here--and take very slow steps"

Chris was able to sit for several seconds and fight the command before he unwittingly rose from his chair. He stared in shock as his own legs strolled toward Wyatt. "What did you do to me? Is it that crap you've being giving me? A spell or something?"

Wyatt: Staring at Chris now inches from his face, "Or something. What would you say if I told you that I just released your hidden desire to obey me?"

Chris: He chortled, "Then I would say that you were severely delusional." Seeing that he got away with the comment without angering him, he continued, "I just want to be left alone, Wyatt. I went back and I failed trying to save you and our family. It's over now. Please, just let me and Lynny go, OK? We won't bother you or interfere again."

Wyatt: Genuinely confused, "What's wrong? You were so determined to "Save me" before. Have you finally realized that I don't need saving?"

Chris: Sounding defeated, "I'm just tired of fighting you, Wyatt." He flicked his hands in an outward motion to show indifference, "So you go ahead and do whatever your crazy little heart desires." Looking in Wyatt's direction, but staring past him, he pursed his lips hoping that the fire he felt was showing in his countenance. "There's nothing left back there to save. I'm done with it. We're both done with it. We just want to leave."

Wyatt: Looking extremely pleased, "Well this is a step in the right direction; but no. You can not leave. Both of you have a destiny you need to finish."

Chris turned on his heels and through his hands up in frustration, "Damn it! I'm tired of all of these damned "destinies." I'm not a witch anymore. And I'm not really a whitelighter either. I just...want...to live a NORMAL life. And now that I have no powers, I finally have a chance to do that." Spinning back to face him, "Why won't you let me do that?"

Wyatt: Answering sadly, "because it's not who you are, Chris. Who you were born to be. You will always be a witch--with or without your powers." He continued emphatically, "You only feel that way now because you've never allowed yourself to give in to the power you possess; never let it consume you until you hunger for more. To let the world cower at your feet in awe of the sheer power you were born with." Seeing the doubt in Chris' eyes, but also the possibilities, his own eyes gleamed in response. "I can show you. I can show you who you are--who you are meant to be."

Chris tried to sound unsure and a bit distrustful, "Just like that. You're just going to forget everything I did?"

Wyatt: Absurdly, "Of course not. But I CAN forgive you. Whether or not I do; is really your choice."

Chris: "And Lynny?"

Wyatt: appearing to think it over, "Eventually. But not right now. Right now, it's your turn." He questioned almost as an afterthought, "Did you honestly believe that they would turn on you?"

Chris knew he would have to do no pretending with this question. He let the hurt, anger, and betrayal flow as he thought about his family sending him back to face an unknown future. He stiffened and clenched his fists. Through the fury in his own eyes, he barely saw the glimmer in Wyatt's.

Wyatt smiled in excitement. He didn't need a verbal response from Chris. His body language gave him his answer. "I can teach you how to draw on that anger you're feeling--to channel it through your powers to increase them exponentially!" Seeing that he still had his attention, Wyatt added, "Did you know that you have more than one power, Christopher?"

Chris: He said matter of factly, "Of course. I am half whitelighter. Orbing comes naturally."

Wyatt: "I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about your Wiccan powers."

Chris: "I'm only telekinetic."

Wyatt circles him, "No. You're not. But I can teach you what you are, and it's so much more than that."

Chris replied determinedly, "If I agree to this, let's get something straight right now--I...WILL...NOT...BE...YOUR...LACKY! I have no desire to be running around here acting like your servant. So whatever strings you've got pulling me around with--had better be cut. Or there's NO deal!"

Wyatt looked happily surprised and grinned in response. "Hmm. Definitely a step in the right direction." He walked toward the door before turning to Chris, "Come with me."

Even with the pulling at his mind, Chris still managed to stare open- mouthed at the doorway that Wyatt had just exited. 'I'll be damned. It worked.' He was broken out of his musings when he heard Wyatt call his name angrily down the hall. He started to run to catch up with him, but got side tracked when he saw the food on the table out of the corner of his eye. Backing up, he grabbed a handful of ham slices from the table and hurried out of the room.

Walking down the hall, Chris saw several open doorways. Although Wyatt was no longer in sight, he instinctively knew which door to enter.

Wyatt was standing over a cauldron, meticulously adding ingredients from the shelf behind him. He watched him patiently for several minutes before interrupting, "What is that?"

Wyatt neither looked up from what he was doing, nor did he respond. Chris was still focussing on the cauldron when he noticed Wyatt hold out his hand and materialize an athame in his palm. He took a step back when Wyatt advanced on him with a sinister grin--threatening him with the knife. "What are you doing?"

Wyatt: He whispered softly, "I'm going to give you what you've been asking for...." He motioned with his finger and flung the door shut behind Chris, blocking any possible escape.

Chris knew it was too good to be true. There was no way that Wyatt would give in like he thought. 'Damn. I guess it didn't work.' Still backing away, he started to panic when he reached the wall and could go no further. He held out his hands in a defensive gesture, "Wyatt--Come on. Don't do this..."

In a flash, Wyatt reached out and grabbed one of Chris' extended hands. With the other hand, he quickly sliced a deep gash into Chris' palm causing him to cry out. Dragging him by the same arm over to the cauldron, he squeezed his wrist to force the blood to run freely into the pot. Dropping his hand, he reached out, plucked a few strands of hair from Chris' head, and added them to the mix.

Chris doubled over holding his hand, trying to staunch the rapidly flowing bloodstream. He looked up when Wyatt threw him a small rag to wrap around his hand. He watched intently as Wyatt reached up and cut a lock of his own long-unruly blonde hair, placing it into the pot. Extending his hand over it, he slit a long gash in his palm and dripped a steady flow of blood into the pot. When he was finished, he waived his other hand over the wound and healed it.

Wyatt mumbled a few inaudible words over the new potion before bottling several vials. He threw his head back and downed one full bottle. As soon as its contents reached his stomach, he rigidly slammed his hands on the table as waves of pain washed over him. As the pain subsided, his body shook and emitted a soft blue glow before fading. He grabbed Chris' hand and healed it quickly with the waive of his own. Holding out the vial, he stated simply, "Your turn."

Chris snatched his hand away and looked on incredulously, "Hell no! That looked like it hurt."

Wyatt: Shoving the vial into his hand, "If you want your powers back, you'll take it."

Relenting, Chris took the vial and emptied it; experiencing the same reaction that Wyatt had moments earlier.

After Chris recovered, Wyatt added, "I can't give you back control. It's not reversible--so you'll just have to learn to live with it. But I can give back some of your powers. I don't intend to give you back the ability to orb. I don't trust you enough for that."

Chris tried to hide the disappointed look on his face at Wyatt's response. That was definitely something he didn't want to hear. Partial powers under Wyatt's thumb, without the freedom and ability to escape at will. 'Oh this is just great! Ok Chris. One step at time.' Right now, he didn't feel any different, but tried to move something with his mind just in case. He chose a large crystal bowl near the cauldron. Flicking his finger at it, he smiled widely when it landed on the floor and shattered.

Wyatt: Rolling his eyes, "You just bought that." He moved to stand next to Chris, "Let's go."

Chris: "Where are we going?"

Wyatt: "To have your first lesson in anger management."

Chris: "From you? Oh this I gotta see." Grinning mildly as Wyatt rested his hand on his shoulder and orbed them out.

TBC.............

AN: Thank you, thank you, thank you for the reviews. I love them. Keeps me going:)


	4. Coming Home Chapters 19 to 24

Coming Home Chapter 19

AN: I know, I know, but don't worry. So many have been wondering what's going on in the past, but they will be back in the next chapter & you'll find out why we've been in the future so much :)

Future.......

Wyatt orbed them to a deserted lake just outside of San Francisco. Standing on the shore, Chris glanced out at the water bewildered. Just as he was about to turn around and question Wyatt on their location, he lost his balance as he felt his brother's booted foot strike him from behind, and soon found himself tumbling face first into the waist-deep water. He wasn't prepared for this impromptu swim, and so didn't have time to take a breath before landing. He emerged soaking wet while he coughed and sputtered on the water that he had just inhaled. He turned and demanded an answer angrily, "What the hell did you do that for?"

Wyatt was still standing on the shore thoroughly enjoying himself when he looked up and sniffed the air in his direction; "I take it that it has also been a while--since you last had a bath? You stink!" He laughed heartily at the indignant expression on Chris' face.

Watching Wyatt standing on the shore mocking him with that irritating, patronizing laugh made him furious. A very dry Wyatt none the less. 'Not for long...' he thought wickedly. Addressing Wyatt with a gleam in his eyes, "Well I think you could do with one too..." He quickly motioned grabbing Wyatt by his shirt and flung his arm--and Wyatt--behind his head. Chris turned around and watched gleefully as his brother was submerged with a satisfying splash on the far side of the lake.

Surfacing rapidly, Wyatt was no longer amused. He shouted to him from the other side, "Do you remember the day that Victor went fishing and never came home, Christopher? Well let me show you how I killed him...." In rapid succession, he formed large energy balls in his hands and hurled them into the water like torpedoes. The force of the first impact sent shockwaves towards Chris, but the constant barrage of explosions generated a massive tidal wave thundering in his direction.

Instead of being afraid for his life, Chris only felt the rage build inside of him at Wyatt's murderous declaration. He imagined the water swallowing up one of the only persons in his life that ever cared for him at the hands of brother.

When the enormous waves loomed overhead, Chris drew upon a strength he didn't know he had. As the waves built, so did his anger and he raised both of his hands as if to hold them at bay by sheer will. He closed his eyes momentarily, fully expecting the waves to overtake him. When he opened his eyes, he was stunned to find that the water had frozen above him. Not frozen still like his mother's power, but literally ice-cold frozen. "Whoa!!"

Quickly dismissing his shock, he focussed his anger again on his new task-- killing Wyatt. Using the telekinetic powers he knew he possessed, he flung his wrist at the frozen block of ice, hurling it back to where it came from.

Wyatt's eyes widened when he saw the massive iceberg accelerating towards him. He barely had time to deflect it before it hit. After shattering the former wave with an energy ball, he orbed and re-materialized directly behind Chris. He wrenched both of arms behind his back trying to control him and prevent him from using his powers.

Chris: Struggling fervently, he yelled viciously at Wyatt, "LET ME GO YOU BASTARD!!! HE WAS YOUR GRANDFATHER TOO! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

Wyatt: Twisting his arms tighter, he commanded him "Calm yourself, Christopher!"

Chris: Still struggling, "I swear you'd better kill me now, cause if you don't, I'm gonna rip your throat out!"

Wyatt: His jaw tightening, he sneered, "Have it your way!" He bent Chris over further and forced his head under the water. Knowing his brother as well as he did, Wyatt knew exactly how long he could hold his breath. Thirty-seven seconds by his last estimation to be exact. He began his mental countdown the second his head hit the water. 'One-one-thousand, two- one-thousand, three-one-thousand.........'

When he hit forty, he pulled him up and spoke quickly while Chris was still coughing the water out of his lungs, "Now that I have your attention. Shut up and listen--I did NOT kill him."

Chris: Blowing out a breath through clenched teeth, "You're a liar! He was always there for me and Lynny, but he NEVER trusted you. And you hated him for it, so you killed him"

Wyatt: "I didn't say that I didn't want to, but I didn't have to. He died in a simple boating accident that had nothing to do with me."

Chris: "Then why would you say it then? Are you trying to piss me off?"

Wyatt: Answering simply, "Yes. You learned how to use a new power didn't you? One that you could never access before? You've never learned to tap into your anger to bring them out--but I forced it out of you today." He cautiously released his hold as he felt Chris' arms relax.

Chris turned to him suspiciously, "You knew about this didn't you? That's why you brought me here to water?"

Wyatt merely raised his eyebrows in response and waded to shore. Sensing that Chris was not following, he didn't turn around before speaking, "Move it. I have business to take care of after I take you back."

Chris sighed and shook his head. 'What have I gotten myself into.' Wading out of the water, he stood next to Wyatt and tentatively reached up and put his hand on his shoulder.

Wyatt turned his head and looked him up and down disgustedly, "You'd better be clean the next time I see you."

Chris rolled his eyes at the comment as he felt the familiar tingle of orbing.

TBC...........

AN: First off: I just want to thank everyone who has reviewed so far--and hope you keep going :)

And since so many have been asking, it's only fair that this chapter show why we've been in the future, and also and update on their progress in the past. Hope you like it, so here goes.....

Past.....

Paige: Walking away from Phoebe, "....Alright. I borrowed your favorite green sweater."

Phoebe put her hands on her hips and began tapping her foot on the floor. "And what happened to it?"

Paige: Reluctantly, she scrunched up her nose and babbled in one breath, "It was under the table and got destroyed when the scabber demons spit that icky stuff at me"

Phoebe turns to Piper and Leo, "Ok. I'm satisfied that the truth spell works. Paige has been dodging me for weeks about my mysteriously missing sweater."

Leo: Nodding his head, "One down, two to go."

One hour later......

Phoebe: "Try it again. Tell me something totally pointless that I'm not gonna miss..."

Paige shrugged her shoulders and whispered something in Phoebe's ear.

Phoebe: "You did what?!! How is "eyeing" my former boyfriend totally pointless?"

Paige: "Sorry, but the truth spell is still working. I hadn't planned on ever telling you that. But I'm hoping that if the memory spell works on you, then you'll forget all about it. Damn!!." She quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

Piper: "FOCUS people! There are more important things right now than who is lusting after whom. For instance, oh...I don't know--say like getting my son, YOUR NEPHEW, back home safely!!"

Paige and Phoebe looked sufficiently reprimanded before apologizing timidly.

........ Minutes later, Paige and Piper are heard chanting to Phoebe, ".....remain, unattainable always."

Piper stares at Phoebe anxiously, "Well? What did Paige just admit to you?"

Phoebe: Shaking her head, "Well basically that we'll need a mop to wipe up her drool everytime Jason comes to the door."

Piper shook her head and starting pacing across the attic.

Phoebe: Addressing Piper, "Would you please stop pacing. You're making me nervous."

Piper: Looking at her watch, "I can't help it. It's been nearly three hours since we sent him back. What if he hasn't healed him yet?"

Leo: Sounding confident, "Piper, I'm sure he has by now."

Phoebe glanced at him questioningly, "How can you be so sure?"

Leo: "Well despite the evil that we saw in him, I honestly believe that he wouldn't let him die. I mean, it wouldn't make sense for Wyatt to go through so much trouble to take Chris back to the future if he just wanted him dead. He could have done that here, or even had Bianca do it. He want's him alive, and whatever the reason--Chris would be no good to him in the condition he was in."

Piper: "Yeah, But three hours later, Leo? How can we be sure that he's healed him by now?

Leo looks down guiltily, "Because it's been longer than three hours...."

Piper stopped pacing and put her hands on her hips, "What do you mean, "longer than three hours?"

Leo: "Well with the way that time travel works--and calculating how far they are into the future: Basically for every minute that passes here, about twenty-four passes in their time." Looking sheepishly, "So they've been there nearly three days now."

Piper: "THREE DAYS!!! Damn it Leo, why didn't you tell me this sooner? Do you know what could happen to him in THREE DAYS?"

Leo: "I didn't want to worry you any more than necessary since we can't change that right now. You know that too much stress is not good for the baby." Resting his hand on her stomach, "And if something happens to you and this little guy in here, there will be no getting him back--because he won't exist."

Paige: Tilting her head to the side, "He kind of has a point."

Piper: sighs in acquiescence, "Fine. How are we coming with that spell?"

Paige: "We're working on it."

Piper: "Well we're not working fast enough. We should have done this before we sent him back."

Phoebe: "There wasn't time for that, Piper. You know that he probably wouldn't have lasted the night if we didn't do it then.

Piper: Throwing her hands up in frustration, "Well we're running out of time now. I don't understand why this spell isn't working!"

Leo: "You know memory spells can be tricky."

Paige: Still feeling guilty over causing Piper to loose her memory earlier that year, "I can attest to that. We've got to be really careful with the wording. Maybe it just won't work on us. We could try it on a witch who isn't charmed?"

Leo: "No, I don't think so. If it doesn't work on the three of you, it's probably not going to work on Wyatt either. Much of his inherent power comes directly from the Halliwell blood line."

Phoebe: Looking around nervously, "I know you probably don't want to think about it, but maybe..." She pauses, not sure how to continue with her train of thought, "Maybe we should consider other alternatives to prevent him from coming back."

Piper: "We can't bind his powers in the future--He's too powerful."

Paige caught on to Phoebe's unspoken implication. She clarified, "I don't think that's what she meant, Piper." Looking to Phoebe for confirmation before continuing, "I think she meant more of a permanent solution--at least in that time line."

Piper looked to her sisters in disbelief as she finally comprehended their meaning. Her voice wavering and barely audible, "You want me to vanquish my own son?"

Leo seemed to accept the prospect more willingly than his former wife. He took her hand in his and spoke in a somber voice, "Piper--we may have to consider that option. He'll still exist in this time, and when we fix whatever went wrong the first time, it will be like it never happened."

Piper: "But I'll know it happened." She stared absently at baby Wyatt in his playpen, then down to her stomach. She sat down and asked despondently, "How could I do that to my own child? I know that the Wyatt that we saw was....well downright evil. And I still have half a mind to put him over my knee and tear his backside up. But I'm still his mother."

Phoebe: She pointed to baby Wyatt playing with his blocks, "No, Piper. You're the mother of that adorable, innocent, toddler sitting right over there. The person that just left here was not your son anymore."

Paige: Trying to find middle ground in the situation, "Then we'll make that a contingency plan--an absolute last option. And hopefully, it won't come to that. For now, we'll just focus on using the potion and spells on him."

Piper: "And if it does come down to that?"

Phoebe glanced to Leo and Paige, who nodded their heads in silent agreement. "Then you won't have to make that decision."

Piper: "Alright. Let's try this again."

Paige: "Let's try focusing more on the potion than the spell this time. Come here, Phoebes." Taking Phoebe's hand roughly, she pricked her finger with a knife and squeezed a few drops into the bowl. Smiling at her older sister, "See. That didn't hurt a bit."

Phoebe immediately stuck her finger in her mouth to stop the bleeding, "Speak for yourself. I get to do yours."

Paige: Rolling her eyes, "Right, and I'm the baby. Hhm--only in age." She ignored the evil look that she was getting from middle sister. Turning to Piper, "Your turn, big sis." Just as Paige started to reach for Piper's hand, she retracted her arm. "Oh, wait. Maybe you had better sit down first. I don't want you to get lightheaded or anything."

Piper scoffed at her and grabbed the knife, "Oh, give me that." She pricked her own finger and allowed the droplets to flow into the pot. She handed the knife back to Paige for her contribution. When they had finished, Piper filled a vial with the potion and shattered it by Phoebes feet. She and Paige again performed the memory spell. "Well? What was the last thing that Paige just admitted to you?"

Phoebe looks a bit confused, "Piper, you just asked me that."

Piper: "Ok....fine. Answer the question anyway."

Phoebe: "She said that she had destroyed my favorite green sweater."

Paige: claps her hands together, "YES!!!"

Piper: "Finally. Ok. So, in order for the memory spell to work correctly, we just need the blood of all persons involved combined with the potion." Turning to look at her oldest child in the playpen, "Now we just need a little of Wyatt's." She spun to face Leo again, "Can you make him sleep, so that he won't feel it?"

Leo nodded and walked over to the playpen. He waived his hand over the child as he watched his eyelids grow heavy. Moments later, he succumbed to a peaceful slumber and didn't feel his mother prick his tiny finger.

Piper then passed the knife to Leo, who took it wearily, "You want mine to?"

Piper: "Just to be on the safe side. You're his father. So, we may need that extra boost."

Phoebe: "Ok, so how are we gonna get Chris'? When we get there, he's not likely to volunteer any."

Leo: "The stone. We should be able to scrape enough from it. Besides, we'll need it for the last spell. I'll go get."

Piper: "Paige, you go with him. Since you're the only one who knows where it is. And please hurry back. I can't leave him there any longer..."

Paige and Leo nodded and orbed out in search of one of the last items on their list to get Chris home.

TBC...........

AN: See, you really haven't been waiting that long to see what their up to, right? It hasn't even been three whole hours! ;)

Coming Home Chapter 21

AN: Hi, I'm back and still lovin the reviews. This part may start out in the future, but well, ends in the future too I guess. But the point is, the Charmed Ones are gonna be there :) lol.

Future..........

Finally left alone, Chris watched as Wyatt orbed away dropping him off in his old room. Glancing around the room, he noted that it appeared exactly as he left it the day Bianca helped send him back to the past. He walked over the dresser and ran his finger across it. Grinning to himself, 'Hmm. No dust either.' The bed didn't look made though. He muttered outloud, "Look's like someone's been sleeping in my bed"

Sizhen: "Have they now?"

Chris jumped at the unexpected intrusion of the hooded figure. "I didn't hear you come in."

Sizhen: "Good. That's part of my job. And I do it well."

Chris didn't like the vibes he was getting from his brother's second. And he definitely didn't trust someone when he couldn't see their eyes. He backed up a little bit, "What do you want?"

Sizhen: He stepped forward and lowered the lowered his hood, "What did he give you?"

Chris: "I don't know what are you talking about?"

Sizhen: Growing angry, his eyes flashed a deep red hue before returning to their dark brown color. "Don't play games with me, boy. What powers did he give you?"

Chris: "He didn't give me anything. Besides, even if he had and he wanted you to know--don't you suppose he would have told you? Being that you are his second in command and all"

Sizhen's eyes flashed again. Only this time, they didn't return to their natural color. "For years, I have been by his side and remained loyal to him, even after you betrayed him. I ALONE have earned that right with the blood of thousands. You have done NOTHING. And you think you can come in here now and take my place..."

Chris knew before he answered that he was going to have to fight his way out of this confrontation. Unnoticeably, he moved his hands from his sides and prepared for the attack he knew would come regardless of how he answered. 'Well at least I can piss him off in the process'. He replied with a smirk, "Well I guess that's too bad. Because apparently, it's my birthright, and I don't have to earn it. But if it makes you feel any better, I'll be happy to have to have you as MY second."

Growling in anger, Sizhen formed a fireball in his hand and hurled it at Chris.

Chris jumped out of the way and deflected it into the corner with his wrist. While Sizhen was distracted with the confirmation of Chris' powers, he mentally recalled the intense anger he felt as Wyatt forced him to use his new power. Drawing on that feeling, he focused his thoughts on Sizhen's wrist as he formed another fireball and threw it. Chris held out one hand and watched again with amazement as it froze in mid air. As he was still a novice with controlling both powers at once, he wasn't fast enough to deflect the softball-sized block of ice hurtling in his direction. He put his arm up to block the impact, but the force of the solid ice shattered his elbow and forearm, sending him crashing into the wall before landing on his bed.

Ignoring the pain radiating up his left arm, he flung the right one out and sent Sizhen flying into the wall dazed. Before he could recover, Chris motioned the heavy wooden dresser in Sizhen's direction. He sighed with relief as it bounced off his head, rendering him unconscious for the time being.

Cautiously, he climbed off the bed and made his way over to the prone figure in the corner. As he approached, he noticed a shiny object lying on the floor glinting from the sunlight beaming in the window. Picking it up, he recognized it as the athame that he kept in his dresser to defend himself for just such an occasion. He held the knife over Sizhen's back temptingly, but quickly discarded any thoughts of vanquishing him. He knew that doing so would hinder his progress in gaining Wyatt's trust.

Pocketing the knife, he warily backed out of the room and wandered through the house to where he hoped his brother's room was still located. Not expecting Wyatt to return anytime soon, he entered and sat down on the bed. As the pain seemed to spread, he laid down lethargically. His last thought before drifting off was of the last guard that dared to trifle with him. Despite the pain, he managed a small smile, 'Wyatt's gonna be pissed. Looks like I'm not getting that Second after all.'

Hours later, Wyatt orbed to his room after meeting with several demons regarding his brother's new "status". He was annoyed to find that his little brother had the nerve to fall asleep both dirty and soaking wet--in his bed. As he stalked over intent on rousing him unpleasantly, he paused when he noticed the odd angle Chris' arm was resting in. On closer inspection, he saw an enormous bruise encompassing most of the arm. Knowing that this was not the condition he left him in, Wyatt shook him lightly and demanded an answer. "What happened?"

Chris was still a bit dazed from both the pain and fatigue as he was roused from his sleep with the question. "Huh?"

Wyatt was annoyed at the response and spoke slowly, "It wasn't a difficult question. What happened to your arm?"

Now fully awake, Chris quickly thought of Sizhen and began to formulate a plan to rid himself of this new threat. Despite everything that Wyatt had done to him, he knew that his brother was fiercely protective of him, especially when it came to his demonic minions. He decided to feign innocence knowing that Wyatt would see right through his facade, "I uh....I slipped in the shower and broke my arm." Holding his arm up, "Would you mind?"

Wyatt locked eyes with his brother and held his hand out, silently knitting the broken bones back together. Still holding his gaze, he replied condescendingly, "Well if you were in the shower, why is it that my bed is covered in dirt--with you in it?"

Chris looked down and tried his best to look guilty, "Alright. Look, don't be mad at him, O.K.? It was my fault."

Wyatt was seething with barely controlled rage. "Who did this?"

Chris ignored his question and babbled on, "You know how I get sometimes. And I kind of provoked him. I tried to deflect the fireball he threw at me, but I couldn't control it after I froze it. I guess you skipped over the "How to Duck" lesson."

Wyatt lost his patience with Chris' rambling and barked, "CHRISTOPHER!!!"

Chris: "It was Sizhen." With his admission, Wyatt orbed out in a rampage, intent on destruction. He crossed his arms behind his head and lay down with a wide grin. 'I would hate to be Sizhen right now.' Staring up at the ceiling, he felt more relaxed than he had in weeks, and lazily drifted off to sleep.

A short while later, Wyatt returned extremely agitated. He bypassed his sleeping brother and headed for the shower.

Chris stirred as he heard the sound of the water running.

Wyatt emerged several long minutes later combing his fingers through his hair. "What are you still doing here?"

Chris: Turning his head, "Well since you won't give me back my ability to orb, and I still don't know how to control all of my powers, I figured this was the safest place for me to take a nap in a house full of demons."

Wyatt glared at him pointedly. He flicked his finger at Chris and dumped him on the floor. "Then you'll just have to do it from down there."

After he landed with a thud, Chris rolled over, "I don't suppose you'd reconsider letting me orb, would you?"

Wyatt: Clasping his hands together, "Very good! You're not as naïve as I thought. Now go and get cleaned up."

Chris: "What is with you and this new obsession with me being clean?"

Wyatt: "Because I have a job for you to do, and I need you to look somewhat presentable if they're going to take you seriously." He looked him up and down distastefully, "You look like one of those rebel sewer rats." He turned and headed toward the shower once again. "Come with me."

Chris wanted to ignore Wyatt, but was again forced to follow with the command he was now becoming accustomed to.

Wyatt stopped just short of the stall when he turned to him and spoke again, "Get in."

Chris hesitated, and soon became aware that his mind did not have the strong desire to obey the command as it did moments ago. His heart soared as a new realization hit him: his body only forced him to follow his brother, not to obey him. He crossed his arms and smiled smugly, "You first. Because apparently, you can lead a dog around on a leash, but you can't make him do tricks..."

Wyatt's eyes flashed in anger as he flicked his wrist at him and held him near the top of the shower stall. He hissed through clenched teeth, "Why must you always try my patience?"

Dangly from the ceiling, Chris decided to concede this small matter in lieu of larger ones to come. He glanced down at the shower knobs and used his telekinetic power to turn on the water. Cocking his head to the side, he grinned innocently at his brother.

Wyatt withdrew his hand and unceremoniously dropped him to the floor of the stall. He grumbled inaudibly and slammed the door behind him.

After his shower, Chris entered the bedroom and looked around for clean clothes to put on since his were destroyed by Sizhen's fireball. Rifling through the closets, he frowned at finding only black shirts and jeans. Chris has never been a fan of all black, as if sporting the combination somehow signified an evil nature. However, the lack of alternatives made him put them on. Glancing in the mirror, he thought the outfit made him look more imposing, powerful even. He muttered outloud, "I see why he likes it. Hmm. Not bad if I do say so myself."

He was still admiring himself in the mirror when Wyatt orbed back in. "Alright. I'm clean. So what now?"

Wyatt either didn't care or didn't take notice of his identically dressed sibling. "No one else will ever accept you like I can, Christopher. That little stunt you pulled by going back has cost me the loyalty of certain followers. There are some that you will have to earn their respect--and you will do so by ridding me of the others." He put his hand on Chris' shoulder before asking, "Do you understand what I'm telling you to do? If you do this right, I may allow you to orb again."

Chris was surprised with Wyatt's sudden change of heart at giving him back his ability to orb. Knowing his brother, he knew that his freedom would not be given lightly. And that it would come with a high price. He made up his mind in that instant that whatever the cost--he would pay it. He thought that the sooner he got all of his powers back, the sooner he could get back to the past and fix any damage he might have to do. Chris nodded his head in affirmation as Wyatt orbed them away.

Wyatt orbed them back to the deserted lake that they were in earlier.

Chris: Looking around, "What are we doing back here? I thought you had a "job" for me?"

Wyatt: "You can't do your "job" until you learn how to control your powers."

Chris: "Well, I already figured out how to freeze. I just need to get really mad first."

Wyatt: Grinning, "You won't have to rely on anger to freeze something. That's just the best way to tap in to it. You can use other emotions. Pleasure, for one. That's usually what I use. Because I enjoy what I do." He held out his hand and a small vial materialized in it. "Drink this."

Chris eyed the glass and took it reluctantly, "What is it?"

Wyatt: "It will allow you to feel and focus on the power within you."

Chris held up the bottle, "Is this how you learned?"

Wyatt: "No. But we don't have time for that way right now. Take it."

Chris closed his eyes and let out a deep breath before he downed the bottle. Almost immediately, he shivered as he felt a tingling sensation rushing through his veins. When he opened his eyes again, he saw the world around him through new eyes. Everything seemed crystal clear. With perfect ease, he could sense his inherent powers--feel exactly where they seemed to originate within him.

Wyatt sensed the change in his brother and formed an energy ball in his upturned hand, offering it to him.

Chris inspected the ball of energy, as his very own eyes seemed to see past the crystal blue haze he normally saw when looking at one. Without effort, he waved his hand over the ball and froze it.

Wyatt: "You need practice before you go up against them."

Chris: "On?"

Wyatt: "Me. So you'd better learn fast, because I don't intend to heal you if you fail."

For the next few hours, Wyatt continually orbed away and reappeared. Each time, hurling an energy ball at Chris from different directions. And each time that Wyatt reappeared, Chris froze, deflected, and returned the energy back at Wyatt with superior ease. When Wyatt was satisfied that Chris could hold his own, he orbed them both down to the underworld to secure his brother's place by his side.

Past............

When Leo and Paige returned a short time later, they brought with them the stone and the bottle with Chris' dried blood in it. Paige began to mix the contents with the potion boiling in the cauldron.

Leo noticed that Piper seemed distracted and took her elbow, leading her over to the corner while her sisters bottled their concoction, "Hey. How are you doing?"

Piper: "I'm OK, I guess." Rubbing her stomach with a grimace, "Chris is doing somersaults in here, so he's probably telling me that he's definitely ready to go get his older self back."

Leo closed his in self reproach again, "What are we going to do when we get him back? You saw the look in his eyes. He hates me. And with good reason after everything I said and did."

Piper: "I don't think he hates you, Leo. He's just never really had a chance to get to know you. I can't say the same for myself, though. I had finally just started to get him to open up and trust me. Things were going great! But then he wouldn't even listen when I tried to tell him that we'd get him back." Tears welled up in her eyes as she leaned into Leo's chest. "I'm a terrible mother. I betrayed one son, now I'm considering vanquishing the other."

Leo held her and tried his best to comfort the love his life, "You're a wonderful mother, Piper. Don't ever doubt that. Only a person, "a mother", so loving and caring as you could do whatever it takes to keep her child safe. You have to believe that this will work out somehow."

Piper seemed unconvinced but nodded her head anyway. She turned when Phoebe called her name.

Phoebe: "Piper. Did you hear me? I said I think we have the spell finished"

Paige sat down on the stone, careful to avoid the bloodstains. Glancing at it disgustedly, "This is kind of freaky. Are we really gonna lug this thing with us?"

Leo: "It may be the only way to make sure that Excalibur travels with us to the future. We don't know if Wyatt put some kind of spell on it or something to keep it with him."

Phoebe: "Are we sure that taking Excalibur out of this time isn't going to screw up the future..." pausing to wiggle her fingers at Chris' famous words, "...in even worse ways?"

Leo: "That's why we need the spell. To make sure that it goes where we need it to go so Piper can give it to Chris."

Piper walked over the original stone in the attic that housed Excalibur. Extracting the gleaming sword, her eyes raked over it greedily.

Everyone noticed her reaction and called her name to snap her out of the trance.

Paige motioned her arms inward, "Piper. Bring it over here before you get all crazy on us."

Piper quickly came to her senses and thrust the sword through the backside of the stone. Looking apologetic for her momentary lack of control, "Sorry about that. I guess I had it a little too long last time."

The three Charmed sisters locked hands around the rectangular stone and began to chant: "Excalibur--The Power of Three,  
Commands Thee,  
Conceal thyself,  
with this rhyme,  
until such occasion,  
as this keeper releases you,  
in another time."

Leo touched the spot where he had last seen the sword to make sure it was still there. He nodded excitedly as his hand brushed the hilt of the now unseen Excalibur.

Phoebe: Doubtfully, "Are we sure we need to take Wyatt?"

Leo replied confidently, "He's the safest of all of us. Wyatt wouldn't dare hurt himself. Besides, he can always put up his force field if he senses danger." He quickly walked to the playpen and reversed the sleeping spell that he put on the child with a wave of his hand. Picking up baby Wyatt, he brought him over to the stone and sat down with him in his lap. The sister's climbed onto the stone and also sat down, each placing one hand on baby Wyatt, with the other on the stone.

Piper leaned in close to Wyatt and spoke softly to him, "Hi Sweetie. We're gonna have some fun. Remember the little game that you and Chris love to play? The one where you find him and orb to him..." Wyatt grinned playfully and clapped his hands to together. "Chris is waiting for you. He wants you to come find him—but not too close, because he wants to play too. We all want play. Can you do that, Honey? Can you take us to Chris?"

Paige smiled at the excited expression on Wyatt's face, "Hold on, cause this is gonna be one hell of a ride....."

Disappearing in a swirl of blue lights, baby Wyatt giggled as he transported his family to the future for the best game of "Orb and Go Seek" he had ever played with his younger-older brother.

TBC...........................

Coming Home Chapter 22

AN: There is a bit of gory scene at the end of this chapter, but probably no worse than you'd see on the show. But just in case, I'll rate this chapter as "R" to be on the safe side.

Future............

As they approached a dimly lit cavern, Wyatt grabbed Chris' arm and cautioned him, "You can't hesitate, or they will kill you! They will try to find your weaknesses and use them against you. Don't show any, or it will be the last mistake you ever make."

Chris: Growing impatient, "Fine. Just tell me who I have to kill around here."

Wyatt began describing them, "....and a darklighter who goes by the name of Kell.......and last but not least, a Maxil demon, who hides in childlike form. Makes it easier for them to kill their targets. But with what I gave you—you'll still recognize it. But they're easy to kill—when they take human form, they die in human form. This particular one, you should remember."

Chris: "Why?"

Wyatt: "Because this is the one that tortured "Your" Auntie Paige to death."

Chris steeled his gaze and nodded.

They followed a long corridor that emptied into a large circular room. Both seemed unaware of the small group stealthily tracking them distantly in the shadows.

Most of the demons in question seemed to be occupying the space in the cavernous room. Wyatt stepped into the center and pulled Chris behind him.

A gravelly voice hissed from the shadows, "Why did you bring him here?"

Wyatt ignored the question and began circling his brother. Addressing the demons in a commanding voice, "Many of you have a price on his head. Many of you have vied for the position by my side for which he was born. And for this night..." Pausing for effect, "....and only this night---I give those of you who wish---one chance---to eliminate him---and take your rightful place and rule this world at my side. If you fail---you will die. The rest you will serve us both until the day I burn your ashes. Agreed?" Wyatt stopped circling Chris to take in the eager faces in the demonic crowd.

Chris flexed every muscle in his body at hearing the hushed whispers circulating the room. With the euphoric feeling he had, he smiled on in anticipation at the destruction that was about to commence.

The small group tracking the brothers arrived on Wyatt's last word, and didn't catch the gist of his tirade. They did however arrive just in time to witness as several very large and ominous looking creatures quickly surrounded the youngest member of their family.

Piper watched in horror as her youngest was cornered, while her oldest quietly retreated to observe what she knew would be a slaughter. She whispered to the others, "I have to get him out of there."

Phoebe: "No, Piper. WE have to get him out of there. There's just no way you're going out there carrying little Chris. You have to stay here and let us handle it."

Piper ignored her sister's words of caution as her instincts wouldn't allow her to remain hidden any longer. She raised her hands, blew up the demon closest to her son, and cried out, "Chris! Get out of there!"

All of the demons in the cavern turned to eradicate the new threat, but Chris quickly held up his hand and ordered Piper to stop before the situation got out of hand. He was surprised to hear the voice, but wasn't prepared to deal with it at the moment. He turned to find his mother, father, and aunts in the corner holding his brother's younger self. He locked eyes with the boy and gave him a familiar instruction, "Danger!"

The younger Wyatt immediately put up his protective force field and surrounded his family.

Chris addressed the boy again, "Don't put down your shield unless I tell you to, OK little guy?" Satisfied that the younger Wyatt understood when he cocked his head to the side, he began again to focus on the task at hand—destruction. Turning away from the child, he purposely ignored his father and aunts, allowing his gaze to fall upon his mother.

As Chris' eyes locked with Piper's, she noted that he did not seemed bothered by what she feared was his imminent death in the slightest bit.

Piper: "No...." She reached for baby Wyatt's hands and held them in her own, "Sweetheart, put your force field down and let mommy out of here. Your little brother needs our help, OK?"

Baby Wyatt remained wide-eyed and curious, but did not follow her instructions.

Paige was still intently looking on as the demons surrounded her younger nephew. "Why is he smiling? It's like he doesn't even know that he's outnumbered."

Leo looked around and saw his oldest son in the corner also smiling contentedly. He called out for him, drawing Wyatt over to them curiously.

Wyatt: "Well. I must say that I am surprised to see you all here. But don't worry, you've got the best seats in the house." Staring down at his younger self, "And you will do exactly as Christopher asked, won't you?"

Leo: "Please don't let this happen, Wyatt. Help him—he's your own flesh and blood...."

Wyatt: Shaking his head, "He doesn't need my help right now. Most importantly—he doesn't need any of you. You betrayed him. A fact which made him so angry, that he wanted to kill you all personally. But I talked him out of it...." Enjoying the shocked looks on their faces at his harsh words, he stepped closer to the force field menacingly, "Go back where you came from, or you won't live to regret it."

Wyatt immediately turned his attention back to the center circle and gave the command, "KILL HIM!!!"

As soon as the command was given, all of the demons who coveted his position began to attack. Chris sensed a presence charging for him and telekinetically reached behind his head to pull the demon to face him. He quickly froze him and several others near him to ice, while his family behind the force field all stared incredulously at Chris' apparent new power.

Paige's jaw dropped when she saw this, "WHOA!!! That's definitely a new one." She turned to Leo and her sisters who were watching anxiously as Chris deflected a fireball, vanquishing the demon it came from.

Chris didn't seem to break a sweat at the influx of demonic attacks. From the corner of his eye, he saw a fireball headed in his direction, and quickly froze it, then motioned it into the frozen demons—shattering the once lively foes into tiny pieces.

Looking down, he saw an athame in the boot of one of his opponents and telekinetically relieved him of it. Seeing two more opponents charging him with weapons, he swept his arms together and motioned all three of them in a single line, holding them there. Before they could break free of his control, he threw the athame with such force that it penetrated each of the three demons, reducing them to ashes as it passed.

As all that had vied for Chris' position continued to be eliminated in turn, everyone in the cavern watched in awe at the rapid succession in which they were slain by Chris' hand.

His last demonic victim, Chris decided to finish off in a particularly brutal manner for two reasons: to discourage any further opposition, and for what it did to his family. He glanced down at the Maxil demon now taking the form of an adolescent female cowering on the floor. Wyatt was right--he did remember this one.

Leaning down to whisper in its ear, "Do you remember Paige Matthews, the magic school teacher. The Charmed One you killed?" Chris gloated as the demon's eyes grew wide with fear, and taunted her further, "The day you decided to take the life of a Halliwell, was the day you signed you own death warrant. I'm going to enjoy this...."

He held her at bay, high enough for all to see, with one hand and motioned his right hand as if pulling on a rope. Slowly, the demon began screeching and writhing in agony as elongated droplets of blood emerged from every pore of its body and suspended in mid air. He waived his hand again in front of the floating blood daggers and turned them to ice. Swiftly, he pushed at them and sent the millions of tiny knives careening back into the Maxil demon, shearing off its flesh on impact. Chris grinned sinisterly as he watched the demon that murdered his aunt gurgling as it took its last painful breath. He ignored the horrified gasps his family gave at his actions. Instead, he turned and shared a sadistic laugh with the older Wyatt who stood up clapping proudly.

All demons remaining immediately dropped to their knees at the transformation that they had just witnessed. They were all accustomed to seeing the younger of the Halliwell brothers reluctant to use his powers in anything but self-defense. This day, however, Chris had quite oppositely employed more powers than they had ever seen him use for one purpose; and that purpose most definitely was not self-defense. Chris had used his powers as his brother had so often done for the sole purpose of annihilation, and seemed quite pleased to do so.

Hushed voices murmured that Chris was a powerful and dangerous being in his own right. No longer one to be scoffed at as the Halliwell Pacifist, but revered as Wyatt's equal.

In their eyes, Christopher Halliwell had come to rule by Wyatt's side and rightfully so.

Wyatt stepped forward and picked a dark-lighter of off his knees. He asked him daringly, "Whom do you serve?"

Dark Lighter: "You, Master Wyatt." He replied nervously.

Wyatt nodded, apparently accepting the answer. So it was with surprised gasps when he shoved the dark lighter back to the ground and vanquished him with an energy ball. His screams still echoing in the cavern, Wyatt stepped forward and stood proudly next to his brother. He addressed the entire cowering crowd, "I say again--Whom do you serve?"

Though the crowd was immensely smaller than it had been when the Halliwell brothers arrived, a cacophony of voices could be heard chanting as they bowed their heads, "Master Wyatt AND Master Christopher"

Piper suddenly felt nauseous at the horrific scene before her--both of her beloved sons claiming dominance over a legion of demonic minions. Never in her life, did she ever imagine such an event. Tears in her eyes, she accused Leo with a grief that only a mother could possess, "Three days, Leo. And we've lost them both...."

Phoebe wrapped her arms around her older sister, "Honey I think we'd better get out of here before they remember that we're still here."

Leo looked as distraught as Piper felt. Tears welled up in his eyes before he straightened his shoulders and said determinedly, "It's not over. We'll save them both. I swear to you, Piper that I will not rest until we save our sons from this future."

Leo felt the need to wrap his arms around the baby in his arms tighter. Kissing the top of his head, he nodded to Paige before they both reached out and orbed Piper and Phoebe away.

TBC...................................

AN: HA! That's it for now. No, I don't mean that the story's over, but I do mean that with the 2 jobs, it's getting harder to write and post frequently. But if you really liked this chapter, I might be able to be persuaded to stay up late & write :) Oh, and is Chris evil, or isn't he? Hmmmm. For that matter, Am I? insert evil laugh here No, of course not--I just love feedback since it gives me ideas for the next chapters. Hint Hint. Yeah, can you tell I'm in a goofy mood today? I guess I'm just so hysterical after what the official writers have done with Chris. Cross your fingers for next season everyone.......

Coming Home Chapter 23

Just as Chris starts to bond with his family in the past, Wyatt gets other ideas in the future--all parts are "pg13" except 5 (and maybe 22) , which is "r" for a bit of violence. .

AN: This is soon to be over, because I just can't wait to start on my next one & my fix for the season finale. (I'd write it in here but their theory kind of clashes with mine in this story--so I'm just going to ignore everything after Spin City) I just can't leave their writers up to their own devices---look what they've done with my favorite character so far!!!!!! Sorry, still venting & hysterical.....but on with it......

Wyatt turned to the crowd still bowing and demanded, "Leave us!"

Immediately, demons dissolved, shimmered, and scurried away leaving only Wyatt and Chris standing together in the center of the cavern.

Chris had started to calm considerably after everyone had gone. He touched his hand to his chest as he felt his heartbeat slowing to its normal pace.

Wyatt turned to him sporting the same cheshire grin that he himself often wore, "You did well, brother. They fear you..."

Chris' expression matching his brother's, "As they should. They'll think twice about coming after any of us again." He glanced distracted over Wyatt's shoulder to the corner where he had last seen his family, "They left, you know."

Wyatt: "Of course they left. There's nothing here for them. And I'm absolutely certain that after that little display you put on, they won't want to take you back with them, either. They're going back where they belong."

Chris: "But what were they doing here?"

Wyatt laughed, "You know them. They could never resist a mystery. They're just here to find out what we were up to. It's not like they actually care about you."

Chris stared at his feet sadly. "Mom did."

Wyatt put his hand on Chris' shoulder. "Would she have helped send you back to an uncertain future if she really cared about you? They just wanted you out of their way. You were a mere nuisance to them. Always have been. "This" is where--and when--you belong, Christopher. With your "real" family. Not back there with a group of walking ghosts who've been dead for years."

Chris looked up at Wyatt, "Well there's more to our "family" than just you and me. I want to see Lynny."

Wyatt blew out a frustrated breath, "Why?"

Chris: "Because she's our sister and she doesn't deserve to be rotting down there in that prison, that's why."

Wyatt : "Well in case you forgot, she's not our sister."

Chris grew angry at Wyatt's denial and slapped his hand away from his shoulder. "Damn it, Wyatt! I don't care who gave birth to her---she was, is, and always will be our sister. I don't believe that you don't care about her. You grew up with her. You took care of her when there was no one else. And you're the one who threw an energy ball at a teenage boy who dared to plant an innocent kiss on your baby sister. You were just lucky that she absorbed it in time, or she would have never forgiven you."

Wyatt grew angry at Chris' retort and drew an energy ball and held it threateningly, "The boy. Pissed. Me. Off. Something you seem to be quite fond of doing."

Chris glared back at him with a challenging look, "Seems that way, doesn't it. And it will continue to seem that way until you let her out of there. Get me?"

Wyatt's hand shook with fury as the ball grew larger.

Moments passed as both brothers continued to glare into the other's eyes, each refusing to back down.

Several minutes later, Wyatt broke contact and roared as he hurled the energy ball at the nearest wall.

Taking deep breaths to calm himself down, Wyatt sneered, "She's safer down there."

Chris: "Safer from what, you? Well if you would learn to control your temper and stop trying to "kill" us, she would be safe up here too."

Wyatt steeled his gaze walked over to Chris. Leaning in close to his ear, "I have never tried and failed to kill anyone. If I wanted either of you dead--you'd be visiting the rest of the Hallliwells at this very moment."

Chris feigned surprise as he crossed his arms, "Really? Because I could have sworn that I was ducking energy balls last time I took that dive through the portal."

Wyatt: "That was a low level charge. Maybe just enough to scramble that feeble mind of yours, but not enough to kill you."

Chris: "And when you hit Lynny in the back with one? What was that, huh? A massage?"

Wyatt stated coldly, "A lesson. She didn't listen."

Chris threw his hands up, "She's a teenager! What did you expect? "None" of them listen. So what now--you fry her every time she refuses to do what you say?"

Wyatt: "No. Out in the real world, she's as helpless as an infant."

Chris: "She can take care of herself."

Wyatt: "But she won't"

Chris: "Since when?"

Wyatt: "Since she refuses to use her active powers. All thanks to you."

Chris: "How is that my fault."

Wyatt: "Because she worships the ground you walk on. She always does whatever you tell her. Whatever you show her." He looked at Chris disgustedly, "She may as well be your clone."

Chris grinned conspiratorially, "Then I guess I'll have to show her." He turned and added smartly to provoke a response, "I always knew you had a soft spot for the kid." His only reply came in the form of an index finger prodding him, sending a tiny electrical charge through his back.

Chris jumped at the shock, "OW!"

"Knock it off!"

"Would you STOP that!"

"Dude, you are SERIOUSLY starting to piss me off...."

Wyatt never did respond verbally as he orbed them to Lynny's cell.

TBC.......

AN: Thanks to everyone who as reviewed so far. I know this one was real short, but I have the sequence all ready played out in my head for the interaction with Lynny, & the reactions with Piper & crew, and hopefully soon--the end. I just.....have....to....type it out.....fading fast....tired...night. Tomorrow maybe? :)

Coming Home Chapter 24

Just as Chris starts to bond with his family in the past, Wyatt gets other ideas in the future--all parts are "pg13" except 5 (and maybe 22) , which is "r" for a bit of violence. . ....................

Lynny was sleeping fitfully in the corner of her cell. She had laid down worriedly ever since Sizhen had walked Chris out nearly a day ago. She didn't hear her brothers orb into the cell.

Chris saw her tossing uncomfortably and glared at Wyatt. His brother merely shrugged and retreated to the opposite corner as Chris tip-toed over and softly stroked her hair from her forehead. "Lynny? Wake up."

Hearing his voice, Lynny blinked her eyes sleepily as she was pulled from her slumber. "Chris?" She sat up and immediately punched him in the arm. He rubbed his arm, "Ow. What is with the two of you today?"

Lynny: "What did I tell you? My name is LYNN."

Wyatt folded his arms and laughed at their childish interaction.

Lynny jumped when she heard Wyatt's familiar laughter echoing in the room, as she thought they had been alone. Looking over to him suspiciously, "What are you doing here?"

Wyatt: "Ask Chris. He's the one who insisted we come down here."

Lynny crossed her arms and stared pointedly at Chris. "Well?"

Chris: "Wyatt told me that there was a reason for you being down here. Do you know what that reason is?" Her suddenly shy and guilty look told him that she did. He asked again, "Lynn?"

Lynny uncrossed her arms and started twirling her hair around her finger, "What?"

Chris: "Answer my question. Did you know?" Still getting no response, he questioned further, "Is it because you refuse to use any of your active powers? Even to defend yourself?"

Lynny jutted her chin out petulantly, "So what if it is?"

Chris threw his hands up in frustration, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Lynny yelled back defensively, "What's the big deal? You don't use yours! So why should I use mine?"

Wyatt intervened before Chris could answer, "Now that's not true, is it, Chris? Why don't we show her?" He snapped his fingers and a small probe waded through the hallway and positioned itself in front of the bars. He spoke in its direction, "Location 1013--Today, Fourteen Twenty Seven Hundred Hours. Image only."

As he finished his sentence, an image was projected from the probe onto the back wall of the cell.

Chris was surprised to find that the image it displayed was of him just before Wyatt gave the command to kill him. Nervously, he turned to Wyatt, "Turn it off."

Wyatt replied innocently, "Why? You were defending yourself. Making sure that they wouldn't come for any of us ever again. She has the right to see that, don't you think?"

Chris frantically threw his arm out to try and destroy the probe before it showed her something he would rather her not see.

Wyatt anticipated his actions and flung him against the wall before he could intercept the images.

Chris sagged against the wall as he watched himself dispatching the crowd of demons. He gazed intently down to his feet when he heard Lynny gasp at the savageness of his last victim's demise.

Lynny stared at him accusatorily, "She was a child, Chris! How could you?"

Wyatt defended him, "She was no child. She was a Maxil Demon. A shapeshifter who took the form of a child. In particular, the one who murdered Paige."

Lynny shook her head, "Aunt Paige died in a car accident."

Chris mumbled distractedly, "You were too young to remember what really happened. She brought that thing home when it pretended to be helpless. Even took it out for ice cream. There was barely anything left of Aunt Paige when it was done with her. At least that's what I heard Leo telling mom when he couldn't heal her." He looked back at Lynny who stood rigid with shock.

Chris stood up pleading with her, "You have to understand. I did it for us. We'll never be safe from them unless we make them stay away. And the only way they're ever going to do that is if we make them afraid to come near us. It's no worse than what the Charmed Ones did. I know you don't remember much about them, but I saw them--lived with them for months as an adult. They felt no remorse at killing a demon, especially one that attacked our family."

Chris could almost physically see the inner turmoil raging through her. He knew that no matter how feisty and confident she appeared, Wyatt had still accurately gauged his little sister's dependence on him. He held out his upturned hand to hers, "We have to show them that they can't mess a with a Halliwell and live to tell about it."

Biting her lip nervously, she slowly reached out her left hand and placed it in Chris'.

Chris glanced to Wyatt moving to stand next to Lynny, mimicking his actions on her opposite side.

Chris spoke to Lynny while looking over her into Wyatt's eyes. "Wyatt's done it. I've just done it. And..."

Wyatt interrupted, "And now it's your turn. Sis." Wyatt allowed his lips to curl up slightly as she hesitantly placed her right hand in his.

Lynny darted her head back and forth between her two brothers holding her hands. On the one hand, she a brother that she trusted implicitly. On the other, she had a brother that she--well she didn't know what to think of him most of the time. But if Chris thought that this was for the best, she would follow him anywhere. At least it meant that she wouldn't have to kill him as he asked.

She tightened her grip on their hands as she felt the familiar tingle of Wyatt orbing them all away.

An enchanted forest......

Piper sat down heavily on that had carried them all to the future. Still shaking her head in disbelief, "How could this happen to my babies. What have I done wrong?"

Phoebe sat down next to her and rubbed her back soothingly, "Sweetie, this is not your fault. You haven't done anything wrong."

Piper: "I failed them. It's one thing to just think you're a terrible mother. But it's totally different to see the proof walking around torturing innocent children to death."

Leo: "Maybe it's just a spell he has him under. If it is, we should be able to break it when we give him Excalibur."

Piper: "We CAN'T give him Excalibur now, Leo. If he's evil now, he'll still be just as evil when we give it to him. The only difference will be that he'll be unstoppable with it."

Phoebe: "Piper, it's too soon for it to be anything other than a spell. He wouldn't murder an innocent for no reason, otherwise."

Paige shifted uncomfortably on her feet, "I don't know, guys. I just get this really weird feeling that the kid wasn't as innocent as she looked. I mean it doesn't quite make sense that she was down there in a room full of demons. Right, and not one of them thought to kill her before Chris did?" She watched the others nod slightly in agreement. "Even though...he did kind of seem to enjoy it---But hey! That doesn't mean anything. He is a tad bit--neurotic."

Piper replied sarcastically, "Thanks, Paige."

Paige shrugged, "I'm just trying to help..."

Leo: "We can get him back. And then we can save the future for both of them."

Phoebe: "Yeah, but--how are we gonna do that? We just thought we were gonna have to bust him out of where ever he was being held. Not fix him, and then bust him out."

Leo replied defensively, apparently annoyed with Phoebe's skepticism. "So it will take longer than we thought. But we'll do whatever we have to do!"

Everyone was taken back by Leo's outburst and jumped in surprise.

Phoebe's eyes went wide at the anger she felt emanating from Leo. She stammered, "I.....I'm sorry Leo. I didn't mean it the way it came out. I just meant that it's gonna take a bit more than we planned. I want to get him back just as much as you do."

Leo put his hand on his forehead and sighed, "I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to blow up at you. It's just so frustrating. I haven't even gotten to know him, gotten him to forgive me for everything I've put him through. And now I guess I'm worried that I may not get the chance."

Paige tried to break the tension by changing the subject. "I think we should follow them for a little bit and find out what we're up against." She reached out and picked up baby Wyatt.

Piper arched her eyebrows inquisitively, "What are you doing?"

Paige: "I'm taking him with me. If we run into the older version, he won't be stupid enough to hurt us--and himself in the process. And if we run into anyone else, he can shield us long enough for us to orb. I think you and Leo should stay here...."

Both Piper and Leo protested at the same time, "What! No!"

Paige: "Calm down. Both of you. Piper, you have to keep little Chris safe, and you are the only one who can give him Excalibur when we break whatever spell he's under. And Leo, you need to stay with Piper in case you need to orb her out quickly. We don't know what kind of demons could be lurking around here."

Both parents grumbled but reluctantly sat back down on the stone.

Phoebe held out her hand for Paige and they orbed out together to trail their nephews.

A San Francisco Street Corner......

Lynny turned to her brothers, "I don' get it. Why do I have to wear Bianca's clothes."

Chris grinned, "Because you don't own anything black."

Lynny glanced disgustedly at the revealing black leather bodice she now wore, "Maybe not, but I look like the only thing missing is a whip and some chains. I happen to like bright colors. Ooh, and pink is my favorite!"

Chris: "Yeah, but the problem is--I don't think that you'd look very "scary" in pink lace. In fact, I think some of the demons you'll face may just laugh at you."

Lynny: "But..."

Wyatt interrupted, "Enough already. Lynny...", he paused and blew out a breath at the intense glare she gave him, "MELINDA---has some work to do. Do you remember what I taught you at Magic School?"

Lynny flashed a sarcastic smile at him, "Of course. It wasn't that long ago that I should be getting senile."

Chris looked to both with a bewildered expression, "What do you mean? What did you teach her at Magic School?"

Lynny shrugged, "Wyatt showed me how to expand my empathic power."

Wyatt: "I taught her how to defend herself. And maybe a few offensive strikes as well."

Chris stared at them in disbelief, "Ah. When was this? And why didn't you teach me?"

Wyatt: "I DID teach you, Christopher."

Chris: "Yeah, this morning!"

Wyatt raised his voice, "You didn't want to learn! Why do you think I assigned Bianca to watch over you?"

Lynny stepped in between the brothers to calm them, "Guys? Something else we should be doing, perhaps?" She turned to Wyatt, "We're not going to make this a habit, right? This is just for show--this one time? Just to make sure they leave us alone?"

Wyatt nodded, "As long as they remain in their place, there will be no further problems--or necessary displays."

Lynny looked to Chris for confirmation, who also nodded. "Ok. Here goes." She strolled off around the corner while her brother's remained behind and watched from the shadows.

Moments later, she heard a few demons by the dumpster mumbling about her.

Demon 1: "It's the witch, I tell ya." He smiled predatorily, "And she's by herself. She ain't got no powers, except that "touchy feely stuff". Lot a good that'll do her. Come on. If we take her out now, we can make sure that there ain't never gonna be no triad. And we'll be back on top..." He punched his fist into his other hand and waited for a mutual agreement. When the consensus was reached, they all shimmered out to surround Lynny.

When a dozen or so demons surrounded her, Lynny jumped in surprise. Trembling, she meekly asked, "What do you want?"

Demon 1: "What are you doing out here alone? You know this is our territory."

Lynny stammered, "Ye..aah. But, you can't touch me. If you do, Wyatt will kill you, and everyone you know."

Demon 2: "Well he ain't here, is he?" He drew a fireball in his hand, "And he ain't never gonna find out."

Lynny inhaled and took a step back as he raised the fireball to throw at her. In a terrified voice, she cried out, "WYATT!!!"

The demons surrounding her laughed as she called for her brother and held her hands up in defense to brace for the impact.

They laughed harder when her oldest brother never responded to her desperate pleas.

They stopped laughing when the fireball that should have disintegrated her, disappeared inside her body and emitted an orange glow.

Lynny lowered her hands and hardened her expression. "Now that wasn't very nice." She closed her eyes briefly and held her hand back up. The demons watched in stunned silence as the fireball reconstituted itself in her palm before she threw it back at its surprised owner. As his ashes scattered to the ground, the others broke out of their reverie and bombarded her with fireballs, jolts of electricity, and poisonous venom.

Demon 1 muttered to himself just before he was vanquished, "Damn. This was supposed to be easy."

Chris: "How did she do that?"

Wyatt smiled proudly, "Her empath abilities used to allow her to absorb only feelings. I showed her how to extend it to absorb objects too. Then to reverse it and expel them."

Lynny absorbed everything they threw at her, and returned it with equal momentum. Quickly bored of the vanquishes, she turned and cleared a path in the direction she had left her family. She felt a slight twinge of another fireball hitting her from behind. She put her hands on her hips and spoke out loud, "Do I have to do everything myself?"

Chris turned to Wyatt grinning mildly, "Aww. Our little girl is growing up..."

Wyatt chuckled a bit as he orbed them to her side. All traces of humor vanished from the brothers faces as they stood on either side of Lynny. The remaining demons in the alley momentarily froze in fear at being caught by Wyatt. Some decided to make themselves scarce, while others opted to fight and face Wyatt now. At least this way they would have a fighting chance compared to when he and his "new" second in command hunted them down later.

Wyatt drew an energy ball and took one step before Chris grabbed his arm, "Remember--leave a few to tell the story to the others."

Wyatt: "Just a few..."

Phoebe, Paige, and Baby Wyatt orbed into the exact same hiding spot that had been occupied by Chris and the Older Wyatt only moments before.

Paige's jaw dropped when she saw the black clad trio down the alley, laying waste to everything that crossed their path. "I sure hope those are all demons."

Phoebe: "Who's the girl? You think she's Wyatt's girlfriend?" Baby Wyatt cocked his head to the side at her mention of his name. "Not you, little guy. We know another Wyatt."

Paige shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I've never seen or heard of a power like hers before."

Phoebe looked on distractedly, "I wonder if she's a Phoenix like Bianca? She seems familiar somehow..."

Paige seemed to ignore Phoebe's interest in the girl, "Damn. Look at that firepower. We can't go up against them like that--when they're together. Even as the Charmed Ones. We're going to have to get them separated."

Phoebe: "Good idea. We'll have to come up with a plan to get them all alone. Now let's get back to Piper and Leo. They must be worried sick." She held out her hand as Paige orbed them back to the forest.

TBC.....but not for much longer.

AN: almost done. :) Since chapter 23 was so short, I extended this one.


	5. Coming Home Chapters 25 to 30

Coming Home Chapter 25

AN: Hey! Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed. I love feedback, so thank you, thank you, thank you, .......(10 more times), thank you.

Just as Chris starts to bond with his family in the past, Wyatt gets other ideas in the future--all parts are "pg13" except 5 (and maybe 22) , which is "r" for a bit of violence.

Piper is sitting on the stone resting her feet on the hilt of the sword sticking out of the side. Rubbing her swollen belly, she speaks softly to it, "You're going to be ok. You here me in there? Mommy loves you very much and wants you to come home...." She grunts at the apparent fetal response in the form of a kick.

Leo laughed, "I guess he's difficult wherever he is, huh?"

Piper: "Yeah. What are we going to do, Leo? What if we can't reach him? Are we just supposed to let them grow up all over again and wonder every second if this is the moment that they'll turn? What if this is all preordained and nothing we do will make a difference?"

Leo stubbornly shook his head, "No, Piper. This can't be their destiny. They wouldn't have been born to one of the most powerful good witches of all time if this was meant to happen. Something went wrong. And my money is on your premature death."

Piper scoffed, "Your money? Well that inspires a lot of confidence being that you don't "have" any. It's not like you get paid for your job."

Paige crept up to them, "Which in my opinion pretty much sucks--especially with all of the overtime you put in."

Both Piper and Leo were startled by the sudden appearance of her sisters and hadn't heard them orb in.

Paige raised her eyebrows at Leo, "Judging from how high you jumped off that stone, I'd take a wild guess that you didn't hear me orb in?" She snorted at the flustered look he gave her, "Way to keep an eye out, Leo."

Piper: "What did you find out?"

Paige: "Well that they apparently hang out with some biker-type chick who has some really "out-there" powers. Them too by the way." Holding up baby Wyatt, "And did you know that this little guy has the ability to conjure energy balls?"

Piper looked cocked her head to the side at Paige's haphazard explanation. She looked to her other sister for clarification.

Phoebe: "When we got there, Wyatt and Chris were standing on either side of this girl. There were plenty of demons in the alley, and the three of them advanced on them--and destroyed everyone and everything in their path. I mean--it was like they were a well-oiled machine. Chris would like--freeze one, Wyatt would blow it up. And then the girl--she blocked everything that the demons threw at them. Nothing even had a chance to hit any of them while they destroyed."

Paige: "Actually, it was more like she absorbed everything that hit her."

Phoebe: "And then it seemed like she would get bored of just blocking, and turn around and send whatever hit her back at the demons. I don't think anything was left standing when they were done...."

Paige: "The scary part was that they did it so well--and looked like they enjoyed it. Piper, you know I have every faith in our abilities as the Charmed Ones. But seeing them today--I honestly don't think that we could go up against them and win--definitely not when they're together. At least not without resorting to more "permanent" solutions."

Leo: "Then we'll have to separate them. But we'll have to make it a lightening strike--and all at once. I don't want to take the chance that one will warn the others. It's probably best if split up." His eyes darting back and forth between Paige and Phoebe, "Do we have enough crystals for three cages?"

Paige: "Yup. I always come prepared...."

Leo: "Ok. Piper--You take Chris. He'll be less likely to hurt you knowing that you're carrying his infant self. Wyatt and I will take Wyatt..."

Paige leaned into Phoebe and whispered, "Did that sound weird to you too?"

Leo ignored her and continued, "He seemed a little less volatile around me. Plus he won't take the risk of hurting himself. Phoebe and Paige--you take the girl. She's the wildcard and we don't know anything about her--so you two had better go together. Don't vanquish her unless you absolutely have to. They might not be as receptive to us if we do..."

Phoebe: "How are we gonna get them alone?"

Paige: "Watch them very carefully. Maybe when they're sleeping. Or even if it's just a bathroom break. No matter how close they are, they can't possibly do that together." She taps her hand on the stone, "You know-- we're going to have to hide this monstrosity. We can't leave it out here in the open."

Leo: "I'll orb it into the bay. It should be safe there for now." He cleared his throat for Piper to get off, then waived his hand over it as it disappeared.

Phoebe frowned and turned to Leo, "Wait. If you're going after Wyatt, and Paige and I are going after the girl--how's Piper gonna get to Chris?"

Piper cocked her head to the side and dragged out, "That's a good question. Leo?"

He let out a half laugh as he realized that he hadn't thought of a solution yet. "Hmm. Wait--You were able to tap into little Chris' powers before. You should be able to orb."

Piper: "Yeah, but the problem is--I don't know how. That was just instinct before."

Paige: "Try concentrating real hard on standing over there next to that tree. Think about the fact that you wan to be over there, and no where else."

Piper squinted her eyes and focussed intently on the tree. After a few moments with no success, she gave up and turned to Leo and her sisters who were all trying not to laugh. She put her hands on her hips and glared at them, "What's so funny?"

Phoebe shrugs with a mischievous grin, "Nothing honey. Ok. Well, maybe its just that you were straining so hard--that it kind of looked like you were trying to push that baby out!"

Piper replied indignantly, "Well excuse me. It's not like I've ever done this before."

Leo: "Just try to relax and think about being over there. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Imagine yourself standing next to the tree..."

Piper did as she was told and immediately disappeared in a swirl of blue lights. When she opened her eyes, she was indeed across the clearing and directly next to the tree in question. She threw her fist up in the air, "HA!!!!"

Paige called out to her, "Very good, Piper. Now try to orb to me and I'll go further into the forest and hide, OK?"

Piper cheers to herself as she watched Paige disappear, "I can do this...I can do this...go Piper." Concentrating on her youngest sister, she orbed off in search of her.

Moments later, blue orbs coalesced next to Paige. "I could get used to this."

Paige turned to Piper, "Well that's kind of too bad, cause you're almost due. Come on, let's get back to the others so we can wrangle in those crazy nephews of mine."

Arriving back, Paige turned to Leo, "Ready?"

Leo: "As I'll ever be." He handed each sister a small pouch, "Ok. You know what to do. Paige, Phoebe--once you've secured them, we'll rendezvous with Piper since we're going to need the Power of Three to break the spell on Chris. Good luck guys."

Paige grabbed Phoebe's hand and orbed out to secure their "assignment".

Piper ruffled baby Wyatt's hair and kissed him on the forehead, "You be a good boy for daddy, OK sweetie? Mommy loves you so much. You keep each other safe OK?" Just as she was lowering her hand, it brushed against Leo's.

Leo grabbed her hand when it touched his, feeling an instant connection. "Piper, I..."

She silenced him with her finger to his mouth, "I know. Me too. Just be careful, OK? And maybe we'll have a few things to discuss when we get home."

Leo grinned contentedly, "Be safe."

Piper smiled softly at them before she decided to lighten the mood. Just as she orbed out, she bowed and mocked him with his typical elder reply, "Blessed be...."

Leo chuckled as he looked down at baby Wyatt, "Come on little guy. Let's go meet the other Wyatt we know."

Wyatt had a firm grasp on Chris and Lynny as he orbed them to a large bedroom in his new manor.

Lynny looked around wide-eyed, "What's this?"

Wyatt replied sarcastically, "What does it look like?"

Lynny rolled her eyes, "I know what it is. And you know what I meant."

Wyatt grinned smugly, "But that's not what you asked."

Lynny: "Fine. What are we doing here?"

Wyatt: "We're done for the night. This is your room."

Now it was Lynny's turn to be sarcastic, "What? No more rampaging tonight? Darn."

Chris smirked but intervened before Wyatt got angry, "Ok. So we call it a night. Where am I supposed to sleep?"

Wyatt looked at him disgustedly, "I'm not your babysitter. Your room is just fine."

Chris protested, "But it was trashed this morning since I had to toss a few dressers around."

Wyatt sighed, "I had someone clean it up. And with both of your little display's today, you should be safe."

Chris: "You said you'd let me orb."

Wyatt: "I said "maybe". I haven't thought it over yet."

Wyatt started to orb out to his room when Chris grabbed his arm, pulling him back. "Wait. At least take me with you. My room's on the other side of the complex. It'll take me a half an hour to get there."

Wyatt smiled and patted Chris' shin playfully, "Guess what? They work. Don't worry, I'll let you sleep in tomorrow so you can get that extra half hour back." His faded laughter was heard as he orbed back to his room.

Lynny sat down on the bed and laughed at the stupefied expression Chris wore. She patted the bed next to her, "Come here. You can stay here if you want. Protect me from all of the scaaaaarrryyy demons he's got lurking in this house."

Chris: "Well you sure didn't look like you needed any protecting today. I didn't know you had powers like that."

Lynny: "Yeah, well. You either. I guess Wyatt just brings out the best in us..."

Chris: "Or the worst."

Lynny frowned: "Don't tell me that after that speech you gave me this afternoon that you're starting to have doubts about what we did?"

Chris shook his head adamantly, "No. Of course not. It had to be done. They'll never leave us alone otherwise. And if I do go back, I need to make sure that you'll be safe when Wyatt's not around."

Lynny: "Then what is it? And what do you mean by if you go back?"

Chris sighed as he laid back on the bed and crossed his arms. "I guess.....I guess it's just that Wyatt doesn't seem so bad now. He even seems to still care about us. Is it really going to make anything better by changing him?"

Lynny jumped up furiously, "I don't believe you! Of course he care's about us, we're the only family he has left. But he only treats us decently when we do what he tells us. If we step out of line--that's it, and we're back to the cells like everyone else. Or did you forget about the countless resistance members down there right now?" Calming down, she climbed up on the bed next to Chris. "Look...don't be mad--but the fact is, I kind of enjoyed what we did today." She pushed him playfully when he looked at her incredulously, "Oh come on. I saw the "gleam" in your eyes when you were bulldozing your way through his "former" minions."

Chris laughed faintly, "Weeellll. Alright. So I did relish in it a bit. But in my own defense, those were all creeps who tried to murder my little sister because they thought you were defenseless."

Lynny grinned proudly, "I betcha' that's the last time anyone thinks that." Suddenly sounding drained, "Look, Chris--the point is I know how you feel. Despite everything that he's done, I still love him too. But we can't go on like this--straddling the fence between good and evil. We have to make a choice. And I realized something out there today."

Chris raised his eyebrows inquisitively, "What?"

Lynny: "The three of us--it's like we belong together. We're stronger together. Just like the Charmed Ones."

Chris turned his head to look up at her, "Pick a side, huh?"

Lynny: "Yeah, I guess so. Personally, I think I'd prefer to be like our parents. Besides, if we don't do something to help all of those people down there and they ever get out--they're gonna kick our collective ass's. I just want you to know that whatever you decide, Chris--I'm with you."

Chris sat up mulling over her words. Abruptly, he turned and hugged her for her show of support. "Thanks." He made it a point to emphasize her name, "LYNN." He headed toward the connecting bathroom before calling out, "I'm going to wash up."

Lynny shifted uncomfortably before responding, "Stay in there a while, would ya? I've got to get this torture rack off and find something to wear."

She could almost hear the smile in his voice as he called out behind the door, "Wyatt's got a good selection. Why don't we go hunting in his closet. Just tell me when it's safe to come back in, ok?"

Lynny: "Will do."

Chris had just finished washing up and was putting his shirt back on. As his head popped through the opening, he was briefly surprised to see Piper standing in front of him when she blew gold dust into his face. Unable to do anything but inhale the particles, he promptly lost consciousness as she caught and eased him down to the floor.

Piper huffed as she looked at the figure on the floor and patted her stomach, "You're a lot easier to carry around in here." Laying out the crystals to encircle him, she silently hoped that all was going as planned for the others as well.

At the same time on the other side of the compound, Leo was laying the adult version of his oldest son on the floor. He had surprised Wyatt just as he had been getting into bed. As Leo placed three of the crystals down, he handed baby Wyatt the remaining one to complete the cage.

Baby Wyatt toddled over to his older self and triumphantly placed the crystal down to activate the cage. When it lit up, he rocked on his heals and clapped to his father proudly.

Leo picked him up and tickled his stomach, "You did good, buddy. But this was almost too easy. We're going to have to teach you all about overconfidence when you get bigger."

At the same time that Piper and Leo were subduing their children, Paige and Phoebe orbed in behind Lynny who seemed to be preoccupied with rummaging through the drawers. At being tapped on the shoulder, she immediately went on the defensive.

As Lynny turned around, Phoebe blew the sleeping dust into her face while Paige prepared to lay the crystals. To their surprise, Lynny coughed as she inhaled the dust particles but didn't pass out. Instead, she held out her own hand and blew the same gold dust back at Phoebe.

Phoebe tried to step back, but wasn't quick enough and instead inhaled the dust, dropping her instantly.

Lynny stared down at her angrily, "What? You didn't get the word this afternoon? We're off limits!"

Paige saw their plan quickly flying out of the window and decided to try and tackle the girl before she alerted the others. She reached for her but missed as the girl ran toward the bathroom and shouted, "Chris! Wyatt! We've got company!"

As Lynny went to grab for the knob, the door swung open, followed swiftly by Piper's fist into her face, knocking her unconscious.

Piper: "Sounded like you needed some help." She glanced down and saw Phoebe lying on the floor and slapped her hands on her thighs, "WHAT HAPPENED?"

Paige: "We forgot she absorbs magic."

Piper: "Now we'll have to wait for Phoebe to wake up."

Paige: "Yeah, I know, I know. And by that time, the three stooges will be awake too! Crap!"

Leo orbed in and saw Piper placing the crystals around the girl. Glancing down at Phoebe, "What happened?"

Paige: "Small oversight, Leo." She mumbled under her breath, "that ought to teach us to listen to a battle strategy by a pacifist Elder."

TBC...................

Coming Home Chapter 26

AN: Thanks again : You know what for....

Just as Chris starts to bond with his family in the past, Wyatt gets other ideas in the future--all parts are "pg13" except 5 (and maybe 22) , which is "r" for a bit of violence. ....................

Piper was engaged in pacing the floor of the extravagant bedroom when she suddenly had a thought, "Leo?"

Leo: "What?"

Piper: "You need to get Wyatt."

Leo looked confused, "Why?"

Piper: "Do you really trust him to wake up on his own? What if he can bypass the crystals? I think we should have him near enough to keep an eye on him."

Leo: "You're right. We need to find something to tie him up with." He headed for the closet in search of something.

Paige walked out of the bathroom where she had been checking on Chris when she saw Leo rummaging through the closet, "What are you doing?"

Leo looked up distractedly, "I'm looking for something to tie up Wyatt with..."

Paige reached in her pocket and pulled out a handful of plastic television cord ties. "Well why didn't you just ask, silly?"

Piper: "Where did you get those?"

Paige: "I did say I always come prepared, didn't I? I also told you that I would do everything I could to make sure we didn't have to hurt him. So I brought a lot of "unconventional" supplies. I had Grahms bless the ties so that no magical being could get through them unless I want them to."

Piper smiled warmly and hugged her sister tightly, "You're the best Paige. What would I ever do without you?" Taking the ties, she gave a few to Leo, who accepted them and orbed off to secure their oldest son.

------------------------

Paige leaned down to tie up Lynny, then replaced the crystals. "Who do you think she is?"

Piper: "I don't know. She looks familiar though. But I just can't place the face..."

Moments later, any further speculation as to her identity was interrupted by Leo's return. Slung over his shoulder was the still unconscious Wyatt. He quickly placed him down on the floor and continued to secure his legs. Paige kneeled carrying several scarves from the closet and gagged him.

Piper: "is all that really necessary?"

Paige sat back on her knees and blew out a breath, "Piper! I know that just because he's sleeping right now, that he looks like your innocent little angel, but from what we've seen of him when he's awake—he will use any open opportunity he can to get his way. So yes, I think it is!"

Leo nodded reluctantly, "I have to agree with her." Standing up, he wrapped his arms around her, "Piper, I know how you feel, because I feel the exact same way. As angry as I am with him for what he did—looking at him now, I just see my son and I want to help him too. But I think the best way to do that is to fix what happened in the past.

Piper: "All right. Then go do Chris too. Paige and I will get her."

Leo nodded and took a few more ties. Cautiously, he approached Chris and removed a crystal.

As soon as the barrier went down, Chris turned his head and flicked his wrist, sending Leo crashing back out of the door and into the bedroom. Jumping up quickly, he saw Paige tying Lynny up so he flicked his wrists again to send her flying backwards. "LEAVE HER ALONE!"

Piper held out her hands in a defensive position, "Chris—we don't want to hurt you..."

Chris fired back, "YOU'RE TOO LATE FOR THAT! Now untie her and move away slowly." He held up his hands threateningly and directed them at Leo quickly when he sensed him creeping up behind him. "That only worked once, Leo. Don't tempt me, because I don't need you any more." He purposely made a point to glance at Piper's swollen belly before he turned to Leo spat back venomously, "You've served your purpose. Dad." Enjoying the hurt expression on Leo's face, he turned back to Piper, "What are you still doing here? Didn't you get the message last time? You're not wanted in this time, just like I wasn't wanted in yours."

Piper: "Oh, honey. That's not true. I'm your mother and I love you. Of course I wanted you there, but..."

Interrupting her, Chris lowered his hands momentarily and yelled back, "MY MOTHER, died a long time ago. So don't pretend you can take her place. And if you claim to love me, then why did you send me back! You could have been sending me to my death for all you knew, but you DIDN'T CARE!"

Piper started off calmly, but progressed to shouting back, "Chris, I sent you back "because" I care. You were dying, and he promised me that he could heal you back here. We tried everything to cure you at home, but you know nothing worked. WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO? LET MY SON DIE!!" She ran out of steam and mumbled quietly as the tears rolled down her cheeks, "We just want to help you."

Chris: "I don't' need any help. Certainly not from you."

Piper: "Well I'm sorry that you had to go through any of this, and I'm sorry for how you're gonna feel when we help you, because like it or not, we are going to save you from yourself. What you did today--that child was an innocent, but there's nothing we can do about that now and we cant' bring her back. The only thing we can do is break his hold on you to help you finish what you started."

Chris flailed his arms emphatically, "There is "nothing" wrong with me! I'm not under a spell! And let me tell you something else--I enjoyed it today!" He laughed at the horrified expressions that all of three of them gave him. He raised his eyebrows with the cocky attitude they were used to, "Let me ask you something--did it ever occur to you that maybe she "wasn't" an innocent?"

Everyone was so focussed on Chris, that no one noticed Wyatt beginning to stir in his magical cage. He rubbed his head on the floor and shimmied out of the blindfold. Narrowing his eyes at his one time family surrounding Chris, he flexed his bound hands and mentally called for Excalibur.

Still not entirely convinced of Chris' free will, Leo and Paige tried to subdue him again while his attention rested with Piper.

Chris heard them getting closer and raised his hands quickly as he flung them backward against the wall, "I said BACK OFF!"

Piper: "Chris, how are we supposed to believe you're not under a spell when you do things like that?

Chris: Turning back to Piper, "Just go home, OK?"

Piper looked over his shoulder and yelled in a panic, "WYATT NO!"

Chris didn't have time to register her reaction as he continued, "I've got....", abruptly halting his sentence as his breath hitched in his throat. He looked down and absently thought that this seemed familiar somehow. He felt more surprise than pain as he glanced at the sword protruding more than a foot from his stomach.

He vaguely thought that it was a strange sensation that quickly turned to an immeasurable pain as the floor rushed up to meet him. His face inches from the floor, his descent stopped as quickly as it began as Piper once again caught and eased him down gently.

Piper: "Leo..."

Leo didn't have to be told as he was already rushing to his son's side to heal the wound.

Piper: "Paige, keep Wyatt back, please!" She reached over and pulled the sword out as Leo hovered his hands to heal. Holding onto Chris tightly, she tried to get his eyes to focus on her, "Chris? Honey can you hear me?"

Chris: "Mom?"

His reply was so faint, she almost didn't hear him. "Chris--stay with me OK? Your dad is working on it." As his eyes started to close, she shook him to get his attention.

His eyelids heavy, he struggled to pry them open and stare into Piper's eyes. When he saw the tears flowing openly down her face as she tried to comfort him, he realized that he longer felt animosity toward her. Though this Piper was much younger than he remembered, she was still the same compassionate woman that he had come to know as his mother. He reached up and wiped a tear away, "I'm sorry..."

Piper tried to distract herself from the finality of Chris' actions, "LEO! Why isn't this working?!!! He's not healing!!!"

Leo was starting to panic and shouted back, "I DON'T KNOW!!! Damn it, don't you think I want to save my son too!!! I can't loose him now!"

Phoebe was just starting to stir as she heard the yelling. She was about to ask what was going on when she saw Piper holding her barely conscious nephew on the floor. "Oh no." She turned her head away from the grief stricken parents and saw Wyatt shouting through his gag and struggling vehemently in his bonds. "Piper?"

Piper answered shortly, "What!"

Phoebe pointed to Wyatt, "I feel something from him. I think he wants to help."

Wyatt banged his head on the floor in relief.

Piper saw no other option, "Lower the cage and remove his gag. Let him talk."

Phoebe cautiously went over to Wyatt and removed a crystal. She pulled his gag down to his neck and jumped back, expecting at the very least a verbal assault. She wasn't disappointed.

Wyatt: "DAMN IT! You can't heal him, LEO. Untie me or he WILL die. NOW!"

Leo wasn't quite ready to trust him, "How can you heal him then? How do we know this isn't another one of your tricks--maybe just to finish him off?"

Wyatt: "Because we're connected by a blood bond. I'm the only one who can heal him. You'll just have to trust me."

Leo looked to Phoebe for confirmation. "I think he's telling the truth, Leo."

Leo: "What about the rest of them?"

Wyatt sneered, "I'm making no promises."

Leo's normally warm blue eyes suddenly emitted a deadly seriousness as he stared at his oldest son, "We've been doing everything in our power to make sure you're not hurt. But if you try anything, consider all bets off."

Wyatt reminded his father impatiently, "Tick-Tock, Leo...."

Leo instructed, "Paige--do it."

Paige held out her hand, "Magic ties!"

Wyatt's bonds disappeared form his wrists and ankles as he stood up. As Paige shielded his younger self in the corner, he took the opportunity to glare at the boy for telekinetically removing Excalibur from his hands and hurling it at Chris. He had to remind himself that he could inflict no harm on his younger self. And he really couldn't blame the boy for merely trying to protect his family as he would have done--as he did do. He muttered something to the effect of, "Damn time travel".

Nearing his immediate family, Wyatt nonchalantly flicked his wrist and flung Leo away from his brother. Kneeling down, he put his hands over Chris as the wound began to close and he gradually became more lucid.

Halfway through, Chris grabbed Wyatt's hand and stopped him, "Wy?"

Wyatt: "Yeah. It's me. Move your hand Chris."

Chris: "Don't hurt'em OK?" He stubbornly refused to let go of Wyatt's hand and continue to be healed until he received the answer he desired.

Wyatt said again, "Chris--Move your hand!"

Chris: "Please, Wy? Promise?"

Wyatt reluctantly agreed, "Ok, Chris. I promise. Now move your hand so I can heal you."

Piper watched her oldest son with amazement. Even as the tyrannical behavior that she had seen from him over the past several days convinced her of his evil streak, she now also saw the apparent brother love he so obviously felt for his younger sibling. 'Maybe there's hope for this version of him, after all'. Without thinking, she reached up and brushed an errant strand of Wyatt's unruly hair behind his ear.

Unused to the attention, he head shot up warily. However, when he looked into his mother's face, he saw no trace of malice or duplicity in her actions as he expected--only unconditional love. The single action awakened feelings in him that he hadn't felt in nearly a decade. And he didn't know how to handle them now, so he did the only think he could think of--Run.

Having finished the healing process, Wyatt bolted up quickly and went to the corner to rouse Lynny. He had already realized that no magic could undo them, so he called for Excalibur and sliced through the bonds as she stirred.

Lynny sat up and tried to look around, but Wyatt's broad shoulders blocked her view. "What happened? Who's that? Wyatt! Let me see!!" He continually blocked her view and matched her moves to prevent her from recognizing them.

Finally, she dodged him by feigning the opposite direction and caught a glimpse of the intruders. Her eyes widened as she recognized Piper and Leo standing over Chris. She went to call out "mom", but only got the first two letters out as Wyatt clamped his hand down over her mouth.

When Piper heard Chris still trying to protect them even at the risk of his own life, she was convinced that he hadn't turned. Now fully healed, he tried to sit up but Piper held him back and whispered, "Chris--we can break the hold on you that makes you obey him. We just need to give you back something that belongs to you."

Chris was intrigued, "What?"

Piper: "I can't tell you, but I can show you. Will they be alright?"

Chris: "Yeah. Good or Bad--He always keeps his promises."

Piper: "Leo? Put that "thing" back where we were before, would you? And Wyatt--Sweetie, I'll bring him right back, OK? Don't you run off now!" Not waiting for a response, she surprised everyone when she orbed Chris out of the room.

TBC.........

AN: The story is done. Finally. It should actually only take me a few more days to type it up & post it--yea!!

Coming Home Chapter 27

AN: You know I was tempted to leave the last chapter off with Chris' near death--but I think there's been enough of that for one season, don't you think? Anyway, I am really surprised at how long this is taking to type up!!!! It didn't look like that many pages when I wrote it :( But at the very least, it will probably be extended to 2 more chapters. Did I say thank you for reviewing yet????? Cause I meant to say thank you ;)

Just as Chris starts to bond with his family in the past, Wyatt gets other ideas in the future--all parts are "pg13" except 5 (and maybe 22) , which is "r" for a bit of violence.

Arriving back at the forest, Piper was pleased to find the stone waiting for them.

Chris turned to her with wide-eyed wonder, "How did you do that?"

Piper grinned smugly, "I'm carrying you, remember? I can access your powers."

Chris: "Huh. Interesting."

Piper: "Hey, you share my body. Take half of my food. "And" keep me up all night in the bathroom. So the least you can do is share your powers, don't you think?"

Chris nodded shyly, "Yeah, I guess. So why did you bring me here?"

Piper: "Well....."

-------------

Back in the bedroom, Wyatt was still standing in front of Lynny with his mouth agape. He turned to her, "Did he just orb?"

Lynny laughed at the incredulous expression on his face, "Thought you had the patent on that one, huh?"

Her laughter made Wyatt angrier and he started pacing the floor calling his brother, "Chris! Get back here now!" He paused for a moment, "I'm going after them!"

Lynny put her hand on his arm to calm him, "Wyatt, wait! Do you know who that was?" At his raised eyebrow, "Alright, alright—stupid question, of course you know who that was. But let them be for a little bit. She said she'll bring him back in a few minutes." She smiled as soon as Wyatt turned away and snatched his arm out of her grasp. He continued to call his brother, but he didn't go after them.

---------------------

Chris felt a strong pulling in his mind. He knew Wyatt was calling him. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he looked at Piper nervously, "I have go to go. Take me back. Please—take me back."

Piper: "Calm down. You're making me nervous too. Come over here." She felt around for the sword, stopping when she brushed against the hilt. "A ha!"

Chris: "What are you doing?"

Piper: "Giving you back something that belongs to you." She reached down and released their version of Excalibur from its encasing. As soon as she held it up in her hand, it re-materialized so that it could be seen.

Chris' eyes widened, "Is that..."

Piper: "Yes it is. And it belongs to you." She extended her arm to hand it to him but he took a fearful step back. "Chris, take it. It's yours. You don't have to be afraid of it."

Chris: "No, it's Wyatt's. He'll kill me if I touch it. He never lets anyone touch it."

Piper shook her head, "No, it was never his. He was meant to give it to its rightful owner—the next King Arthur if you will. It corrupted him, just like it did to me because neither myself nor your brother were meant to wield it. That was an honor reserved for my second-born." She held out her hands again, "Take it, Chris."

Chris shook his head vehemently and took another step back, "No, that's not possible. Look, I gotta' go. I really have to get back. There's this buzzing in my head and I can't stand it anymore. Take me back, please?"

Piper: "Chris, we talked to a woman who was kind of in charge of both the sword and the stone and all that jazz. She explained all of this to us, as well as the fact that by giving this to you, we can break his hold on you. You won't feel the need to be at his beck and call anymore."

His urge to return grew stronger every second, pervading his thoughts so that he couldn't think straight.

Piper could see the internal war raging within her son, and decided to take the decision from him. She grabbed his hand and pried open his fingers, shoving Excalibur into them. Almost immediately, his thoughts cleared and the urge subsided. He felt the immense power of the sword coursing through him as he stared at the gleaming metal wondrously.

Piper laughed at his reaction, "Feel better now? I know how you feel; I had the same reaction when I first picked it up. Set it into the stone."

Chris looked up worriedly, "Why?"

Piper: "Because you need to see that you are the true owner of the sword by removing it. Now do it."

He obeyed and thrust the sword through the stone before rapidly sliding it back out again with ease. Extremely giddy, he repeated the process several more times before Piper got annoyed and smacked him on the back of his head. "Alright, that's enough Chris."

Chris: "Sorry. I think I need to see this woman. I've got some questions to ask her."

Piper: "Well we'd better go quickly or Wyatt's liable to do something stupid." She took his hand and orbed them to the spot that she remembered meeting the "Lady".

When they arrived, Piper was surprised to find the Lady out in the open without having been summoned.

Lady: "Welcome back. Both of you. I've been waiting for you."

Chris: "Welcome back--Have we met before?"

Lady: "Not yet, but yes."

Chris: "O...k.. I don't remember that."

Lady: "In your time, you have not yet spoken with me. Nevertheless, we have spoken before. I transcend all time. Past, Present, and Future are equal in my eyes."

Chris: "So why are you waiting for us?"

Lady: "Because it is time for you to begin your destiny, Christopher. You are the True Possessor of the Sword."

Chris: "Well what's my destiny?"

Lady: "To exist as you were meant to be."

Chris stared at her incredulously, "WHAT! English, Please!"

The Lady ignored his outburst and addressed Piper, "Where one destiny ends, so another must begin."

Piper looked crestfallen, "So there's no way to stop it. I have to die and leave my children alone?"

Lady: "On the contrary, my dear. Your survival is vital to their well being. Everything is as it should be. It is written." She held out her hand as the Corellian Scroll appeared in it. "See what you may, and go back to your own time with your family. When you return, you will not remember your time here. You have fulfilled your task by restoring rightful ownership of the Sword. The next generation alone must complete the remainder of this task."

Chris leaned in and whispered to Piper, "What is she talking about? Did that make "any" sense whatsoever?"

Piper whispered back, "Absolutely. Not. But let's get the scroll and maybe we can figure it out." No sooner had she reached for the prophecy, as they both had to shield their eyes from the blinding light of the Lady's disappearance.

Chris tapped his foot impatiently, "Well, what's it say?"

Piper: "There's a lot missing..."

Chris rolled his eyes and replied sarcastically, "Well, what "isn't" missing?"

Piper waggled her finger at him, "Don't you get smart with me young man. I don't care if you are a few years younger than me--I'm still your mother."

Chris: "Ok. I'm sorry. Please, go on."

Piper: "Well from what "is" here, it looks like..."

Chris: "Yeah?"

Piper stared at the written words in shock, "That you're not coming home with us. We're supposed to go back--and forget everything that's happened. There's even a part here that mentions that Wyatt is meant to be evil..."

Chris: "But that doesn't make sense! What else does it say about him?"

Piper: "I can't tell, the lines directly following are missing. It's like it's coded or something. There isn't much else I can read in it."

Chris folded his arms defeatedly, "Then that's it. It's over. You go back. And I move on from here. I guess Bianca was right when she said that we were naïve to think that there was a way to change it all."

Piper tried to sound optimistic, "You know, it didn't sound final the way the Lady was talking. She made it seem as if there was still something else big that you're meant to do? Just, without our help. I guess we'll just have to trust you to do whatever is necessary..."

Chris: "But...." stopping mid sentence as he heard the familiar tune of orbs behind him. Talking to Piper, he didn't bother turning around, "Uh oh. He's standing right behind me, isn't he?"

Piper looked over his shoulder and plastered a huge grin, "Yep. Hi, Honey. We were just on our way back. Weren't we Chris?"

Wyatt just stood there with his arms crossed as the rest of the family orbed in behind him.

Paige sounded out of breath, "Sorry Piper, we tried to stop him."

Piper: "It's alright, Paige. It doesn't matter now. We're going home."

Leo: "WHAT! Now? But..."

Piper interrupted him, "There's nothing here for us, Leo. This is as far as we go and he wants to stay. Besides, I talked with the Lady we met before. She says that we need to go home and that we did what we came to do."

Phoebe: "I can't believe you're just going to give up, Piper!"

Piper: "I'm not giving up, Phoebe." She smiled knowingly at Chris, "I'm just going to let someone else do the driving for a while." Ignoring the open-mouthed stares she got from her the rest of her family, she calmly walked over to Chris and hugged him. "I love you."

Chris hugged her back tightly, "I love you too, Mom."

Wyatt blew out an irritated breath as he watched the sentimental display.

After Chris released her, Piper wanted to make sure that both of her children knew how much she cared. She walked over to her oldest son and embraced him as well. Shocked by her actions, Wyatt stood rigidly in her arms for a few moments before he gradually relaxed and hugged her back. "Wyatt? I know that it's probably been a long time for you since you've heard it, or maybe you weren't old enough to remember. But I just want you to know that I have and "always" will, love you. And I'll do my best to let you know that everyday from now on until the day I die. And even then, I'll always be with you."

Reluctant as he was, Piper was surprised when she went to pull back but Wyatt didn't let go, so she gave in the embrace. They remained locked in that position for several more minutes until Piper groaned and reached for her stomach.

Wyatt: "What's wrong?"

Piper: "You're little brother is being fussy. He keeps kicking me in the kidneys." She turned to glare at the adult Chris, "Not very nice, by the way."

Wyatt touched her belly as a soft glow was emitted and the infant calmed instantly.

Piper: "What did you do?"

Wyatt grinned, "I put him to sleep for now. He always gets irritable when he's hungry--that won't change. You'd better go and get something to eat before he wakes up, he won't sleep for long."

Lynny had been silent until now and burst into tears after Piper had hugged her sons. Chris rushed over to comfort her, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Lynny: "That's not fair. I haven't seen her in like--forever either."

Chris looked to Wyatt for approval, "Wyatt, the Lady said that they're not going to remember anyway."

Wyatt nodded and stood off to the side as the remainder of his family watched him suspiciously.

Chris put his arm around Lynny and led her over to Piper. "Mom. I want you to meet someone."

Piper: "Oh....This is your girlfriend isn't it?"

Chris laughed, "No. Mom. This is my, "our", sister. Let me introduce you to Melinda Rose Halliwell."

Wyatt leaned on a tree and muttered grumpily, "Lynny. Her name is Lynny." He looked up with a hint of humor as she glared at him, "Get over it."

Piper inhaled sharply and grabbed for Lynny, "Oh, my baby girl. I'm going to have a baby girl..."

Lynny: "Well actually mom, not technically. I'm adopted. You and Dad raised me." She hugged Piper as Leo came over and put his arms around both of them. Breaking off, she turned and walked over to Phoebe. "Chris said that I had your eyes. I didn't believe it until now...."

Paige spoke up for the first time since arriving in the forest, "That's why she looked so familiar. She's a mini-Phoebe."

Piper agreed, "You have an excuse--you didn't know any of us back then, but I should have recognized it. She looks exactly like Phoebe did at her age."

Phoebe: "My baby? You're my baby? The baby I saw in my vision?" After the shock wore off, Phoebe squealed and wrapped Lynny in her arms. "Oh, I'm so sorry for trying to knock you out. If I had known, you know I wouldn't have done that. Oh my goodness! Who is your father? How old are you?" Pinching Lynny's cheeks, "Oh goodness, I have to get started. Rose--that's my favorite flower..."

Piper had enough of her sister's babbling and clapped her hands together, "Ok. Break it up. Let's go."

Leo stopped Piper with his hand on her arm, "Just like that? We're just going to leave? After everything? And his whole point to coming back to the past? Was that all for nothing but this little family reunion?"

Piper: "Leo, We did what we were supposed to do. Now it's up to them to finish what Chris started."

Paige: "But how can they do that if Wyatt is already evil?"

Piper stared absently at her oldest son leaning on the tree, "I think there's hope for him. Maybe it's just a mother's instinct, but I feel that my little boy is in there somewhere. The Lady said that there was still something they needed to do, and whatever that is--I guess that means that they need to do it together. She's been right in everything so far. I see no reason to doubt her now." She saw the disappointment on Leo's face, "Leo, I know that you wanted a second chance with Chris. But you can still get a second chance with this one," pointing to her stomach.

Leo nodded reluctantly and went over to say goodbye to Lynny and Chris. He hugged Lynny as if she were his own daughter, as apparently she was. Leo went to hug Chris but stopped as the young man held out his hand for a handshake. 'I guess it's better than nothing,' he thought as he took the proffered hand. "Chris. I'm sorry about everything, OK? I wish that I could make things up to you. But I guess the only thing I can do now is to be there for little Chris."

Chris said icily, "You do that. Don't play favorites, and make sure you make an appearance more that once month. And maybe things will be different next time around."

Leo looked down shamefully as he stuck his hands in his pockets and accepted the advice. "I guess it's time for us to go..."

Chris: "Yeah, I guess so."

TBC.........

Coming Home Chapter 28

AN: Almost there! This is the last chapter before the epilouge. Then I can finally take a break and catch up on some much needed fanfic reading. So many of the summaries have been so delicious looking, but I haven't had time to read---argh!!!! Curses to whoever said that a day could only have 24 hours!

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Just as Chris starts to bond with his family in the past, Wyatt gets other ideas in the future--all parts are "pg13" except 5 (and maybe 22) , which is "r" for a bit of violence.

Piper wanted to wrap things up and soon clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Alright people, let's go."

Phoebe reluctantly let go of Lynny's hand again as she walked over to stand next to Piper and waived goodbye.

Paige was carrying baby Wyatt, and soon joined Leo standing next to her sisters.

Piper: "Chris? The Sword please?"

Chris: "But why?"

Piper: "You already have it in your time. And in order for you to have it in your time, I have to take the original back to mine."

Chris reluctantly handed her Excalibur, "Will it still be mine?"

Wyatt snorted, "Where did you get an insane idea like that?"

Piper pointed to the Lady that appeared behind him, "From her..."

Wyatt turned and his eyes widened in recognition as the Lady in white bowed before him gracefully.

The Lady directed her attention to Wyatt and questioned him in a tone that left no room for doubt, "You recognize me, Wyatt Halliwell." As he merely stared at her and didn't answer, she held her hand over Chris, "You sought my guidance to return this one to you. And I gave it freely."

Piper now stared at her angrily, "You knew what he was going to do? You helped him? Why? I thought you were on our side?"

Lady: "I side with no one. It was destined. And I gave him only what he needed to know at that moment, as I will do again now. You must return to your time before they can continue."

Piper straightened her shoulders in defiance, "Ohhh noooo, Lady. You expect me to just walk away and trust you with my children's lives after that little admission? I don't think so."

Lady: "You will, Keeper, because you know in your heart that their destiny must continue without you here. It is the only way. From what you read in the scroll, you know that this to be true."

Leo rested his hand on Piper' shoulder, "Is that true, Piper?"

Piper sighed and held her head down, "Yes. But I don't want to leave them..."

Lady: "I will return you to your time. But head my words, Keeper. Everything is at it should be..." She waived her hand over the group as they disappeared and were transported back to the past.

Turning again to face the three remaining Halliwell children, she spoke to the oldest, "Wyatt-- You must now part with that which does not belong to you."

Wyatt shook his head in denial, "Excalibur chose me! Because of the power that I possess. It belongs to me. Not Chris!"

The Lady looked down at Wyatt condescendingly, "You, with your arrogance-- have never been able to see the truth of your own heart. Your quest is fruitless. The desire for a power that you alone, do not possess. Your true strength does not come from within. It comes from your bond with your counterparts--and together, you shall form The Triad."

Wyatt stood there with his mouth hanging open. Momentarily speechless, he finally tripped over his childlike denial, "But I'm twice-blessed..."

Lady: "Yes, and you are the first to be born twice-blessed. But you were born that way not to possess all power--but to foretell the coming of the Triad."

Wyatt: "But Excalibur?"

Lady: "Was not meant for you. Though you can access some of the Power of the Sword, you will never be able to tame it. That right is reserved only for the Sword's Chosen Possessor. And the Sword has chosen the Center of the Triad as its owner."

Wyatt: "The center?"

Lady: "The Middle Child of the Middle Charmed One."

Wyatt looked disappointed, "Oh."

Lady: "Your role is nonetheless important. The Sword has also chosen the remaining members of the Triad as its Keepers. Protectors, if you will, of the both the Sword and it's owner."

Chris' eyes widened in interest. Pointing to Lynny, "You mean that she can pull the Sword from the stone too?"

The Lady nodded gracefully, "Yes."

Chris: "Then why my mom?"

Lady: "Because the Sword has chosen a Keeper to safeguard the Possessor and other Keepers until the beginning of their destiny."

Chris: "Well what is that?"

Lady: "That is not my place to tell.... The Corellian Prophesy. It is there that you will find your way."

Chris: "But it was missing too many lines...."

Lady: "Only the completed Triad can access the full text of the scroll; and "only" when you are ready."

Chris: "When will that be?"

Lady: "When you have joined the natural side of the sword."

Chris grew impatient and threw his hands up in frustration, "What! Please stop with the riddles, you're making my head hurt."

Lynny seemed to understand and answered for her, "Excalibur is good Chris."

Chris: "Oh. But how will we know when that will happen?"

The Lady looked endearingly at Lynny and smiled warmly, 'You--my dear, have been given empathy for a reason. You are the heart of the Triad. And you alone shall know when it is ready.'

Lynny thought, 'But how?'

Lady: 'You shall be able to commune with them silently, and they to you. All you must do is focus your thoughts. When the time is right, they will hear you. It is at that moment that the Triad will be able to read the full text of the Corellian Prophesy.' She bowed regally and immediately vanished in a blinding white light.

Chris was still staring oddly at the spot where the Lady had been standing. He was still a bit confused as to why all she did for the last several minutes was to smile at Lynny silently. "She's kind of weird, don't you think?"

Lynny turned away from him as an idea formed in her mind, 'She's not weird, Chris.'

Chris: "Sure she is. I mean what was with the trance thing before she left?"

Lynny screeched as she turned and jumped into Chris' arms. She ignored his confused expression as she turned to her other brother.

Wyatt was sitting on the stone staring absently at the ground. He was still reeling from hearing from the Lady that he was not as powerful and "special" as he had always thought. This was a totally new premise than what he had grown up believing from every magical being around him. He wanted to dismiss the Lady's statement, but somehow sensed the truth in her words.

Lynny pushed herself away from Chris and anxiously sat down next to Wyatt. He seemed unaware of her presence as his eyes remained transfixed on the ground in front of him.

Lynny silently and desperately pleaded with him to hear her, 'Wyatt--please answer me. Wyatt?' Her mental pleas gradually progressed to shouts, 'Wyatt...Answer me!! WYATT! WYATT PLEASE.....'

Wyatt turned to her so suddenly that she jumped back startled, "Would you STOP YELLING!!! I'm not DEAF!"

Once again, Lynny let out a squeal of delight. Only this time, she wrapped her arms around Wyatt's neck and tackled him so exuberantly, that they both fell off the stone.

Wyatt tried vehemently to pry Lynny's arms from around him. He gave up frustratedly as her slender frame continued to hug him. "Would you get off of me!" Lynny only laughed at him hysterically and hugged him tighter. Wyatt huffed, "Chris!"

Chris chuckled at her reaction and took pity on Wyatt. He bent down and plucked her off him, then offered his hand to Wyatt and helped him up.

Standing between the two of them, Lynny bounced excitedly from one foot to the other. "It worked! It worked!" She went to grab for Wyatt again but he took a step back and raised his eyebrow.

Lynny was undeterred by Wyatt's reaction and went to take another step closer to him, but Chris grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him. Standing behind her, he wrapped his arms around her and pinned hers to the side. He glanced at Wyatt, "No more sugar for this one, hey?" He looked over her shoulder into Lynny's face, "And what do you mean, it worked?"

She smiled smugly and tilted her head up at Chris then back to Wyatt, 'You can hear me. Both of you.'

Chris and Wyatt were both stunned when they heard her voice in their heads but didn't see her mouth move.

Wyatt stared at her incredulously, "You've got a new power?"

Lynny: "No. I've got you. Both of you. It's what allows me to hear you, and vice versa."

Chris: "You're not making any sense..."

Lynny grabbed both of their hands, "Come on, and I'll show you what I mean. Wyatt, take us to the Corellian Prophesy"

Wyatt bristled at her commanding tone.

Lynny yanked his arm and demanded again, "Now! You want to know, don't you?"

Chris let out a sound that faintly resembled a muted laugh / cough before sobering up at Wyatt's hardened glare.

Wyatt huffed again but still orbed them to the Lirpa realm.

Arriving in the cave that housed the Prophesy, Lynny walked over to touch it when Wyatt called out, "There's nothing else there, you know."

Lynny: "Trust me." She unrolled the scroll and grinned when she noticed more of the text appear than the first time she had seen it in the cell. She pointed, "See, look. It's all here!"

Wyatt rushed over to examine it, "That's not possible."

Lynny: "But it is. The "Triad" is complete now."

Chris raised his eyebrows and muttered sarcastically, "So the Lady taught you how to speak in riddles too. Would you care to clarify any of that?"

Lynny: "She said that once all three of us turn to the side of the sword-- good, we will be able to form the Triad, and thus read the full text of the Corellian Prophesy. She also said that I would know when that happens because our bond would allow us to communicate telepathically. And duh--you could both hear me!"

Chris was running his finger over the words on the scroll and looked up surprised, "She's right. It talks about all of that in here. But it also says that the Triad isn't complete until we--number one--form a blood pact using Excalibur; and number two--go back and correct one thing."

Lynny: "What?"

Chris: "We have to stop the Charmed Ones from dying."

Wyatt surprised even himself when he blurted out, "Does it say how?"

Chris gazed at him in shock before continuing, "It says to "Prevent the first of the second in the fourth. Damn I hate riddles...."

Wyatt replied confidently, "Paige. Paige is the key."

Lynny raised her eyebrow at him questioningly, "How do you figure that?"

Wyatt: "Because Paige is the fourth sister--of the second, re-constituted Charmed Ones. And she was the first to die. It must be like a domino effect. If they're not reconstituted, they're not strong enough to survive individually. Or maybe they just got careless after Paige died."

Finally accepting of his role, he stepped back and held his arm out, "Excalibur..."

As the Sword materialized in his hand, Chris momentarily panicked and took a step back before he realized that Wyatt was now good.

Wyatt stroked the Sword lovingly, "Good bye, old friend. It's been fun." Wyatt grinned sardonically and looked up at Chris, "It's going to take some getting used to." He walked over and passed Excalibur to him.

Chris immediately took the Sword to begin their task. Turning to Lynny, he noticed that her demeanor had changed from gleeful to sullen in what seemed like a matter of minutes. "Lynny, come on." He cursed himself silently at his errant use of her childish nickname, but she didn't appear to notice. "What's wrong?"

Lynny: "If we fix this, Phoebe will be alive again..."

Chris: "Yeah. That's a good thing. So what's wrong?"

Unable to face them, she lowered her head and broke down sobbing, "You won't be my brothers anymore."

Chris dropped the Sword and went to comfort her. He was surprised again when Wyatt rushed past him and wrapped his arms around her. He watched in amazement as the former tyrant rocked her silently, tenderly stroking her hair and calming her with his gentle touch. When they parted, Chris stepped closer and turned her chin towards him, "Hey. I told you before-- You will always be my sister. No matter what happens." Looking to Wyatt for support, "Right Wy?"

Wyatt locked eyes with Lynny, "Always."

She nodded and they all walked back over to where Chris dropped the sword. Chris picked up Excalibur and sliced both of his palms. Stepping over to his brother, he repeated the motion. Taking one more step, he held Lynny's hand and raised his eyebrows as if to ask for consent. When she nodded, he made smaller slits in both of her hands.

Wyatt: "Now what? We write a spell to go back?"

Chris: "Nope. The scroll said that this was part of our destiny. Once we form the Triad, it should transport us back to where we want to go. But we've got to take Excalibur. But it didn't say how since we've got to lock hands..."

Wyatt scoffed and took the sword from him and shoved it down the back of Chris' pants.

Chris jumped, "Whoa! Watch it, vital asset back there!"

Wyatt laughed, "I didn't put it down the front did I?"

Still wiping her tears, Lynny sniffed as she chided them, "Boys--Play nice." She held out both of her hands, and Wyatt and Chris each placed one of theirs in them.

Before the final link was made, Wyatt and Chris looked at each other thoughtfully as a flurry of emotions rushed over them.

For Chris, the memories of both good and bad times lingered in his mind. Especially the earlier years when Wyatt had come to power and seemed to thrive on emotionally terrorizing his younger siblings. After he turned, Chris was glad that Wyatt had seemed to grow out of most of that sadistic behavior after his teenage years. It was still painful to think of most of the friends that he lost during the course of his brother's rise to power. At the same time, he remembered the more pleasant times growing up. He wasn't like most older brothers who shunned their siblings as a mere nuisance. For the better part of their lives, they had actually been best friends. And he missed that.

For Wyatt, he remembered the easy camaraderie that came with the relationship he once had with his brother. He felt a bit of regret as he looked back on the pain he had caused him. Often times, the need to protect him sometimes gave way to the desire to torment as Chris' stubborn Halliwell streak manifested itself. Even in recent years, as he became aware of Chris' complicity in releasing many of his intended Wiccan targets, he overtly tolerated his obstinate behavior with mild amusement. However, when Chris went back to the past, the amusement went with him. Infuriating or not, he realized that he missed him.

Lynny heard both of their thoughts and understood their hesitation. "Guys. The bad things--we need to put all of that behind us. And for everything else, it can be that way again with this link..."

Nodding at the same time, Chris and Wyatt reached for each other's hands.

As the link was finally made, the unbroken connection caused a warmth to spread through each of their hands.

Lynny was momentarily surprised to find their hands glowing when she felt a sudden tingling on her leg. Breathing a quick sigh of relief, she glanced down at the sight of the sensation as she realized that she was wearing capri pants. She noticed her tattoo of the family's triquetra appeared to be glowing. Lynny squeezed Chris' hand who had been intently focussing on their glowing linked hands. When he ignored her, she kicked her tattooed leg out and brushed his.

Suddenly, Chris paid her attention as he felt a tingling sensation through his pant leg. Not wanting to break the link, he used his other foot to pull up the cuff and look at his ankle. They both looked down in amazement as the tattoo had copied itself onto his body. He briefly remembered reading something in the scrolls about all three of them wearing the "mark", but had dismissed it as being figurative at the time.

Chris stretched his newly tattooed leg out toward Wyatt, who eyed him strangely.

Lynny projected to Wyatt in her mind, 'Wyatt, stick your leg out!' She admonished him verbally when she heard his mental response, "WYATT! We are not playing footsies! Now stick your damn leg out!"

Grunting reluctantly, he kicked his ankle out to touch Chris' as the tattoo passed to him as well. "So what now?"

Wyatt's question went unanswered as the room suddenly glowed to a blinding blue light. As one, the trio dropped their hands to shield their eyes.

TBC.........

AN: Thanks for reviewing everyone! I should be able to post--dun dun duuhhh--the last chapter shortly, but I just can't type anymore right now. My fingers are gonna fall off, and then how will I finish? : What do you think so far? Is Wyatt going to stay that way? :)

Coming Home Chapter 29

AN: Ok, so I lied. This is the last chapter before the Epilogue, which, by the way is very short, and will probably be posted tomorrow.

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When the blue light faded, Lynny lowered her hands and looked around at their new surroundings, "What happened? Where are we?"

Chris looked around at the familiar basement, "We're home."

Upstairs in the kitchen, they heard Paige's voice and realized that they must have been transported back to the past.

Paige: on sweetheart, let's go get some ice cream. Do you like chocolate? It's my favorite."

Chris and Wyatt's eyes both went wide and they chorused, "NO!"

Chris grabbed Excalibur and bounded up the stairs two at a time. Bursting through the door, he yelled at the child Paige was talking to, "Get away from her!"

Wyatt and Lynny were seconds behind him.

Paige threw a potion that was next to her on the table at the intruders, but the girl absorbed it. Frantically, she called for the knife on the table and directed it at the intruders, but was blocked when the blond man raised his shield and threw it at her, caging her against the wall. "It's for your own good!"

The child stood trembling in the corner of the kitchen, frightened by the stranger brandishing a sword at her.

Paige shouted, "You leave her alone! Why don't you come over here and pick on someone your own size!"

Chris ignored his aunt and began circling the child. "You're not fooling anybody. Let's do this fairly. Come out, come out, whoever you are...."

Seeing no other option, the little girl snarled and transformed right before their very eyes.

Paige inhaled sharply at the now seven foot tall, slimy orange creature that took the place of the tiny child. The massive creature was indeed a sharp contrast to the innocent looking, bright-eyed little girl she had been about to take out for ice cream.

The Maxil demon swiped a sharp six-inch claw at Chris, who ducked and thrust Excalibur into what he assumed, was its heart.

The demon exploded in a cloud of ash just as Phoebe walked in pushing a baby stroller.

Piper was right behind her with a bag of groceries. She dropped the bag at seeing her sister encased in a blue bubble. She raised her hands to blow up the intruders.

Paige shouted before her sister could take action, "Piper, NO! They helped me." Glancing at the blond-haired man, she pointed to the shield, "Hey, would you mind?"

Wyatt waived his hand over her and lowered the shield.

Paige looked at the three young adults in amazement, "Who are you guys?" Glancing at the familiar sword in Chris' hands, "And is that..."

Chris interrupted her train of thought and immediately hid Excalibur behind his back before Piper could see it, "uh, no it isn't."

Lynny recognized the toddler in Phoebe's stroller and cooed, "Aw, is that..?"

Wyatt said in a warning tone to prevent her from giving anything away, "Yes..."

Lynny reached for the child but Phoebe pulled the stroller back warily. Lynny understood her hesitance and put her hands over her mouth instead, "Ohhhhhhh. How "adorable". She is absolutely beautiful."

Wyatt rolled his eyes and whispered to Chris, "You know who she gets this from, right?"

Chris mimicked Wyatt's actions, "There will be no shutting her up now." Directing his attention to all three sisters, "Listen, take care of each other, ok? A lot depends on it."

Piper put her hands on her hips, "Excuse me--but who are you people, and what are you doing in my house?"

Chris: "That doesn't matter. What does--is that the three of you need take care of each other. You're futures--and the futures of your families-- depend on it. Good bye."

Having read the scroll, Chris knew the next step. He held out his hands for Lynny and Wyatt. Accepting their hands in his, he smiled at his mother.

Paige's eyes widened further as they faded from view. She was able to glimpse the young woman's ankle and saw the Triquetra tattoo. Her eyes dawned in recognition as she realized the identity of her rescuers. 'Hmm. It fits, they'd be about the right ages. Blond hair--blue eyes, brown hair--blue eyes, brown hair--brown eyes.' Outloud, she muttered, "Yep. It fits."

Piper: "What fits? And what was that all about?"

Paige decided to keep their secret since they obviously didn't let on, "Oh, um. That cute little pink jumper I bought for Melinda. I'm so glad you put it on her, Phoebes."

Piper raised her eyebrow, "Paige? You didn't answer my question? What was that all about? And who were those people?"

Paige: "Oh, that. They saved me from that kid I brought home."

Phoebe laughed, "Paige, I know you're not used to kids, but what reason could you possibly need saving from one? What, was she throwing food at you?"

Paige: "No, she was "actually" a demon. A very large, "nasty" looking demon. But they took care of it for me. Got here just in time too--I was just about to take her, it, whatever, out for ice cream. And to answer your other question, Piper--I don't have a clue as to who they were." Reaching into the stroller and picking up baby Lynny, "She looks sleepy. I'll go put her down for a nap, Phoebes."

Phoebe nodded as she bent down to help Piper gather up the groceries on the floor.

Carrying her up the stairs, Paige tickled Lynny's belly, "I can't wait until the day you come with that tattoo. It'll be so much fun seeing your mommy blow a gasket." She laughed as the baby giggled a response and entwined her chubby little fingers in Paige's hair.

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When Chris opened his eyes, he was startled to find himself alone. He panicked as he thought that the others had been left behind in the past. Along with his panic, many other thoughts came unbidden into his mind. He discarded them as he jumped up in search of Wyatt and Lynny. He raced down the steps, "WYATT! LYNNY!"

Wyatt was in the basement having a similar reaction. He bounded up the stairs yelling much the same way, "CHRIS! LYNNY!"

They both reached the conservatory at the same time. Chris skidded in his tracks when he saw his brother. Pointing to his head, he began laughing hysterically.

Wyatt touched his head, "What?"

Chris: "Your hair....."

Wyatt: "What!"

Chris still laughing heartily, "It's combed! That has to be a first!"

Wyatt reached up and felt his smoothed back hair, "Oh." He began laughing and pointing at Chris, "Well look at you!"

Chris stopped laughing and ran his eyes over his body, "What about me?"

Wyatt laughed and picked at Chris' shirt, "Plaid? Been surfing in dad's closet again?" Wyatt looked down admiring his own tight black muscle shirt. He smoothed his hands over his sides, "Looks like at least I still have taste."

They both shared a laugh for a few moments before they sobered up.

Chris: "Where's Lynny?"

Piper walked in behind them drying her hands on a dishtowel, "They should be here any minute..."

"MOM!!!" She jumped as both of her sons tackled her in fierce group hug. "What is wrong with you two? First, you're running around her screaming like maniacs calling each other. Did you forget that you could just orb to each other's rooms? I thought there was a demon attacking until I heard you guys laughing. And then you act like you haven't seen me in years...What's goin' on?"

Wyatt pulled away looking slightly embarrassed, "Nothing. It's just that-- we haven't seen you in a while. I mean, the real you."

Piper smacked him on the back of the head playfully, "Is that a crack about my hair? Because you two mischief makers are the reason why my hair is going grey." She walked over to the vanity mirror and picked at her shoulder length hair self consciously, "Did I get the wrong color or something? Because Paige "swore" to me that she knew what she was doing..."

Chris: "Paige is OK? Where is she?"

Piper looked at his reversed image in the mirror, "Of course she's ok. And you know she took Cassie for her placement test at Magic School today."

Wyatt tested out, "Cassie? As in Cassiopeia?"

Piper: "As in "Cassidy", your cousin." She waived her hand just below her nose, "You know, the little brown haired teenager, about yeah high; runs around here getting into trouble a lot with her identical looking sister, Sydney. You know, THAT ONE!"

Chris grinned sheepishly, "Oh, that Cassie!" Leaning in to whisper harshly to Wyatt, "Cassiopeia!"

Wyatt whispered back angrily, "It was the first thing that came to mind."

Piper put her hands on her hips as she watched their suspicious whispering. "What's wrong with you today? Were you two working on another spell that backfired again?" She sighed in annoyance, "LEO! Get down here!"

Leo materialized seconds later showing much the same annoyance, "Piper--How many times do I have to tell you--I only spend "one" day a month up there, and I just left yesterday afternoon. You've got me the other 30 days!"

Piper bounced her head nonchalantly from side to side at the familiar argument, "and sometimes 29, and once a year 27, and every four years, 28...yada, yada, yada. I wouldn't call you if it weren't important. There's something wrong with your sons. Heal them or something."

All traces of frustration vanished as Leo turned to Chris and Wyatt worriedly. He placed his hand on Chris' forehead, "What's wrong? You don't look sick?"

Wyatt stepped up, "Uh. Nothing's wrong, Dad. We're not sick. It was a spell we were trying out and it seems we've been having brief memory lapses. Though everything seems to be coming back..."

Chris was still amazed that Leo was still doting on him and hadn't yet reached for Wyatt, "Yeah, Dad. I uh, we uh, feel fine. Everything's coming back to us. You can go back up there."

Leo let go of him reluctantly, "OK. But you guys call if you need anything. I'll be back later tonight for the party. I'll check on you again then."

Just as Leo was about to leave, Phoebe walked in the front door followed by Lynny and Jason.

Lynny ran through the room and grabbed Chris and Wyatt into a group hug.

Phoebe walked over to Leo and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Oh, good Leo, you're here. She's been acting really strange today. Do you think you could heal her or something?"

Leo: "Maybe she was doing the spell with them."

Phoebe: "What spell?"

Leo: "I don't know. But they seem to be having some memory loss. I told them to call if it doesn't clear up before tonight."

Jason stared at the trio oddly; "They're acting like they haven't seen each other in years. She was just here last week. I'm positive they all took Cassie and Sydney out. Look at them, they're like three peas in a pod-- even with the age difference...."

Phoebe smiled as they walked into the kitchen, "Yeah. But I'm glad they're so close. I always thought that Lynny needed siblings. Kind of like me and my sisters."

---------------------

Lynny: "I was so worried, I thought you guys didn't make it back...."

Chris: "Same here."

Lynny: "Do you remember both timelines too?"

Chris: "I do. Wy?"

Wyatt looked a bit disturbed, "Yeah. Different events seem to be creeping into my mind...".

Chris narrowing his eyes, "I bet that bugs you, huh? Not being in control."

Lynny scolded him, "Chris! We need to put all of that behind us. I know you still have some issues with each other, but its different now. Those things that happened in the old timeline--none of that has happened here. This is the way it should be. And if we don't put those issues aside, we'll never be able to live in this timeline and be the Triad."

Chris faced Wyatt, "Sorry. Old habits are hard to break..."

Wyatt accepted his apology good-naturedly, "I know what you mean." He moved his hand slowly to reach behind Chris when he turned away. Forming a tiny electrical current in his index finger, he shocked him quickly.

Chris jumped, "Ow!"

Wyatt grinned innocently, "Old habits...."

Lynny: "Guys, knock it off. What I want to know is why we still remember everything, and why they don't?"

Chris: "I don't know. It doesn't make sense that we should even still have those memories in this timeline. Maybe we should go and see the Lady." He called out to Piper in the kitchen, "Mom--me, Wy, and Lynny are going out for a while."

Piper: "You'd better get your butts back here before the party. And don't forget the ice this time, Honey."

Chris was taken aback by her request. He looked worriedly to Wyatt and Lynny, "Maybe I can't use my power's here?"

Lynny: "Both of you--try it anyway. If yours don't work, I certainly don't want to risk testing mine."

They looked around to see if anyone was watching, then Wyatt formed a small energy ball in his hand. Chris waived his hand over Wyatt's and froze it.

Piper walked in and observed them silently from the corner trying to determine what they were up to. She crept up to them and asked innocently, "What cha' doin'"

Wyatt was startled by her sudden presence and dropped the ice ball.

As it shattered, Piper bent over to pick up a few scattered pieces. Examining it closely, "What's this?"

Wyatt: "Nothing. We'll be back in a bit." He grabbed Lynny and Chris and spirited them both away before his mother had time to grill him further.

Phoebe walked in right after they left, "What's up?"

Piper pursed her lips and raised her eyebrow, "Huh. They're up to something..."

Walking over to the couch, Phoebe sat down next to Piper, "Why do you say that?"

Piper: "Because no matter how old they get, when the three of them get together--They're "always" up to something. And based on past experiences, it's likely to put more grey steaks in my hair."

Phoebe chuckled, "Yeah. I remember the first streak. I think Wyatt was seventeen, Chris--I believe was fifteen, and Lynny had just turned ten. I still can't believe that those three went down to the underworld to vanquish the new source."

Piper: "That wasn't the first grey steak, just the most noticeable. And I still can't believe that it worked. If they had been hurt--I would have killed them myself."

Phoebe: "Yeah, but you really can't blame them. The twins were almost killed when he attacked. I mean, Paige was ready to kill the source bare handed; and we were right there beside her."

Piper: "Yes, but the difference was--we weren't 17, 15, and 10."

Phoebe rested her elbow on the couch and agreed, "True. I still can't figure out who the ring leader in that little stunt was."

Piper laughed, "I think they take turns. Although your "little one" is awfully bossy. Just like her mother."

Phoebe smacked her arm playfully, "Yeah, but I think Paige has a leg up on both of is in that department. I think she just got lucky that Syd is much calmer and nothing like her sister, because she's definitely got her hands full with Cassie."

Piper: "Why do you think she's enrolling her in Magic School? She just wants to be able to keep an eye on her."

Phoebe: "Actually, Paige said she didn't want the "Three Stooges" dragging her "little darling" into any of their "hi-jinks".

Piper rolled her eyes jokingly, "Oh, please. I know for a fact that her "little darling" has roped her older cousins into sneaking her and some friends into the club several times. I had to threaten to ground two adults if they did it again! Wyatt just whined, "Oh come on mom, what could it hurt?" And then Chris chimed in, "you know we were looking out for her." And then to top it off--"your" little darling said so dramatically that she "had" to do it because she "felt" Cassie's pain of being left out."

Phoebe laughed hysterically, "Well did you remind her that she's not old enough to be there either?"

Piper: "Uh huh. To which she promptly pointed out, and I quote, "If I can help vanquish the source, I should be allowed to party with the best of them!"

Phoebe groaned, "Oh. All I can say is that Grahms got her wish..."

Piper: "How so?"

Phoebe: "Because she used to waggle her finger at me and say, "Someday, young lady, I hope you have a child just like you!"

Piper whined, "Yeah, but I was the good one. How did I get so lucky. All I know is--whatever they're up to, I'm almost positive that I don't want to know about it."

Phoebe: "Here, here. I might start greying like you." She ducked the pillow that her sister threw at her. "But you know, they are all wonderful kids--even if they're not kids anymore."

Piper agreed, "Yeah, They are, aren't they. I couldn't imagine them any other way..."

TBC....

an: only for the epilouge :)

Coming Home Chapter 30

Epilogue

Just as Chris starts to bond with his family in the past, Wyatt gets other ideas in the future--all parts are "pg13" except 5 (and maybe 22) , which is "r" for a bit of violence. COMPLETE

----------------

Chris, Wyatt and Lynny orbed to speak to the Lady.

Chris: "Do you remember us?"

Lady: "Of course. Time is transcendent. I am transcendent. I have been awaiting The Triad."

Chris: "Why do we remember both time lines?"

Lady: "So that you will always carry with you what was, and what could be again if you don't stay on the right path."

Wyatt: "So this was all meant to happen?"

Lady: "Yes."

Chris looked at her doubtfully, "He was supposed to turn?"

Lady: "Yes."

Chris: "And I was supposed to go back and try to stop him, and fail, and come back..."

Lady: "Yes."

Chris: "And join with Lynny and Wyatt?"

Lady: "Yes."

Chris: "And go back and save the Charmed Ones and then go back to what we are now?"

The Lady had an enormous amount of patience, but had reached its limit with his persistent badgering. She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, "YES! So it is written." She immediately bowed and vanished to avoid further questioning.

Chris grinned innocently, "Did she seem annoyed to you?"

Wyatt: "I guess you just still have a knack for irritation. And from what I'm starting to remember, it explains why you got grounded so much. It must just be part of your personality."

Chris crossed his arms and Wyatt, "Well from the new memories I'm starting to get, you used to get us into a lot of trouble. You were always mischievous. Must be part of your personality. And to think that you were so quiet as a baby."

Lynny was laughing at both of them squaring off when they suddenly turned and glared at her.

"What are you laughing at?"

Lynny: "You two are supposed to be half angels, yet I'm the good one!"

Chris: "Yeah right, Miss "let's go vanquish that Source creep!"

Wyatt agreed, "Yeah, you just never got caught."

Lynny: "Maybe I'm just stealthier than the two of you. You know, I can give you lessons later..." As soon as the words left her mouth, a new memory popped into her head and her eyes widened. Pointing to Wyatt, "...And you're gonna' need it cause you're a..." She never finished the sentence because Wyatt quickly covered her mouth with his hands.

Lynny grinned and thought in her mind, 'I don't have to say it out loud, you dolt. But I won't tell him. So enjoy this rare moment of anonymity Wyatt, because as soon as he remembers it too, he's never gonna' let you live it down!'

Wyatt realized that she was right and dropped his hands.

Lynny grinned and slapped Wyatt on his back, "And me without my camera."

Chris looked at them suspiciously, "You two were talking about me, weren't you? With that "mind thingie". Because..."

Wyatt rolled his eyes and interrupted him, "No. It had nothing to do with you. Just forget it, ok. Look, you read the scroll. What else did it say about our destiny?"

Chris dismissed his earlier suspicion and laughed, "I don't think you want to know." He enjoyed both of their frustrated glares, "Do you really want to know?"

Lynny smacked him playfully, "Of course!"

Chris: "The last paragraph in the scroll talks about how we saved the Charmed Ones and returned to our "rightful" future."

Wyatt: "Yes, but what does it say about what we're supposed to do now?"

Chris started laughing again, "It didn't. The last line said, and I quote, "For further information, see the Farberwarian Prophesy in the Enuj realm."

Lynny: "You have got to be kidding me!" Her face fell as Chris continued to shake his head.

Chris shrugged, "Hey, who knew ancient prophets had such a twisted sense of humor."

Wyatt: "Then maybe we shouldn't know. We just go with it. Since apparently everything that happens is meant to be that way."

Chris slowly nodded his head, "Ok. I'm game. Lynn?"

Lynny: "Yeah, ok. So let's go home." She clapped her hands excitedly, "And as I'm starting to recall, we're celebrating Cassie's entry into magic school tonight, and we've got some serious partying to do afterward at the club. Cassie will be thrilled!"

Chris: "Do you really think we should take her? Mom was pretty pissed last time."

Wyatt grinned wickedly and put his arm around him, "Relax, Chris. We'll just explain to her--that it's all meant to be."

Chris and Lynny shared his wicked grin as she held out both of her hands for each of them, and together--the Triad orbed out.

THE END

AN: Ok, so what do you think in its entirety? And how about a sequel, anyone? Does the Triad need their own little adventures now? Or should I just focus all of this excitable energy on my other story, One More Time.

And most importantly, though this has really been fun to write, I have to say that it's been even more fun to read your comments and suggestions. And I have to personally thank everyone who has been so kind as to review--it means so much to me--sniff. Forget the Oscars--reviews are all you need.

You are all wonderful :)

I beg and plead forgiveness if I have left anyone out. Just let me know & I will fix it & grovel with a new posting--you're name at the top ;)

So here goes......

abs812

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